Meetings are held at 6.30pm on the first and third Thursdays of the month.
Meetings are held at 6.30pm on the first and third Thursdays of the month.
In recent months I’ve been working with Aboriginal Elders and aged care teams across remote communities in the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales, supporting culturally safe care and strengthening local workforce capability.
This has included helping services understand information and compliance requirements, improving training for frontline staff, and advocating for practical solutions to support the implementation of the new Aged Care Act and the Strengthened Aged Care Standards. The insights shared by Elders and direct care staff continue to guide my work and reinforce the importance of supporting people to age well on Country.
Working in remote communities can be challenging and often involves long drives. At times my colleagues and I need to bring our own food, linen, blankets and pillows. Yet visiting and supporting these communities remains one of the most rewarding and unique work experiences I have had. Sometimes I have an opportunity to visit heritage sites like Wave Hill Walk-Off (also known as the Gurindji Strike) where 50 years 200 Aboriginal men, women and children walked off a cattle station, as a protest to not being paid any wages.
My recent visits have included the following towns and communities: Kalkarindji, Mt Liebig, Hermannsburg, Titjikala, Ti Tree, Mt Isa, Cape Barren, Tweed Heads, Alice Springs and Katherine. Enclosed are some photos from these site visits.
My direct experience confirms that Rotary clubs have a significant opportunity to support very needy remote communities. I would be pleased to be contacted about making connections with remote Indigenous communities—particularly in relation to older persons, but not only.
