Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025 60 Funded by: Federal Dept of Social Services – National Indigenous Australians Agency NSW Health – Rural Doctors Network – Western NSW Primary Health Network Celebrating over 39 years of Service since 1986 1 Speaker’s Annual Report to Dharriwaa Elders Group (“DEG”) members for 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025. Prepared by General Manager Wendy Spencer. We share highlights of our work during 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025 in following pages. Members News After suffering the loss of two long-term Elders Councillors in early 2024, from 1 July 2024 – December 2024 the following Elders Councillors presided: Sandra Suey-Thorne (Speaker), Ricky Townsend (Treasurer), Elizabeth Williams (Secretary), Margaret Pallister continued. Victor Beale was invited to fill a casual vacancy at the meeting of 30 July 2024, the only meeting he attended. Norma Kennedy was invited to fill a casual vacancy from 30 August 2024. During the period DEG’s Elders Council had 14 meetings. At the 19 December 2024 AGM the following were elected: Speaker: Sandra Suey-Thorne, Treasurer: Ricky Townsend, Secretary: Elizabeth Williams, Elders Councillors: Margaret Pallister, Norma Kennedy. Ernest Sands was invited to fill a casual vacancy 2 May 2025, and resigned to fill a staff role 2 September 2025. The DEG contributed food vouchers for 9 x Walgett funerals during the period and mourned the loss of these people, loved of the community. Representation Narran Lakes Co-Management Committee. The Dharriwaa Elders Group had no delegate to this committee during the period. NSW Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Arts Association “ACHAA”. Ricky Townsend represented DEG as a director of ACHAA attending meetings by video from Walgett. Ricky attended the November 2024 ACHAA gathering held in the Art Gallery of NSW with Elders Councillors Sandra Suey-Thorne, Elizabeth Williams, Margaret Pallister, Norma Kennedy and staff Wendy Spencer, Zoe Sands and Barry Simpson. This conference mostly discussed Indigenous Cultural Intellectual property and governance. Ricky Townsend attended the May 2025 ACHAA gathering that celebrated the opening of Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre’s new premises in Deniliquin with Secretary Elizabeth Williams and staff Wendy Spencer, Barry Simpson, Zoe Sands and the Walgett River Ranger team who met the Yarkuwa River Ranger team separately also during the two days. Lightning Ridge Area Opal Reserve Manager. Wendy Spencer is the gazetted ex-officio representative of the DEG for this committee. The other members of this committee represent opal mining, opal tourism, opal retail, the Lightning Ridge LALC and Lightning Ridge heritage interests and concerns. During the period management activities were conducted to reduce risk and enable the public to enjoy the reserve. The need for surveys of the Reserve’s environmental and ACH assets in order to better manage them is often raised by DEG, as is the long-term aim for the Reserve to provide access to Country for Aboriginal communities of Walgett and Lightning Ridge. Sharecropping of Cooceran Lake was an issue of concern raised by DEG. DHARRIWAA ELDERS GROUP INCORPORATED INC9883394 ABN: 26 795 240 948. A charity and deductible gift recipient endorsed by the ATO. http://www.dharriwaaeldersgroup.org.au PO Box 174 Walgett NSW ph: 02 6828 2619. Email: info@dharriwaaeldersgroup.org.au Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @DharriwaaEGroup. 2 The Objects of Dharriwaa Elders Group continued to be implemented. The partnership with Yuwaya Ngarrali allowed DEG’s staff and activities to expand this year in order to better respond to our community’s needs. This year it completed an evaluation of the work of the partnership prepared by the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Research and Evaluation team at UNSW https://dharriwaaeldersgroup.org.au/images/downloads/Yuwaya%20Ngarra-li%2020202023%20learning%20and%20evaluation%20report%20June24.pdf. DEG is continuing to show governments how to support Aboriginal CommunityControlled Organisations like DEG, and therefore how best to deliver services to the Walgett Aboriginal community. DEG’s Leadership Team (DLT) was stood up: General Manager and Co-Lead Water and Country: Wendy Spencer, Wellbeing Lead: Loretta Weatherall, Community Responses Lead: Vanessa Hickey, Co-Lead Water and Country and River Ranger Project Officer: Zoe Sands. The DLT progressed a plan to devolve responsibilities from Wendy Spencer to implement succession and sustainability. DEG is proud that its employment of local Aboriginal people continued to grow in the period. This growth was accompanied by more administrative work, alongside human resources and staffing challenges. During the period the Elders Council resolved to engage a financial services company to undertake bookkeeping and accounting services and implement automation processes in payroll and bookkeeping. DEG continues to support its members to manage local Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property – a responsibility championed by Founding Members and cultural custodians now passed. DEG networks with similar Aboriginal cultural organisations in its NSW peak body family ACHAA to grow in this undervalued domain. ACHAA is a member of the Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations of NSW and works with other ACCOs to Close the Gap. The Department of Health’s CHSP program supported the provision of Elders Social Support and associated Transport activities and this contract was extended until 30 June 2027. The DEG is actively advocating that its model of holistic social support for the aged is recognised and resourced appropriately. The National Indigenous Australians Agency extended the successful Walgett River Ranger Program until 30 June 2026. DEG’s work this year also included advocating for more supportive and responsive government agency roles and approaches in response to the high number of Walgett’s children and young people interacting with police and the criminal justice system, food and water security crises, housing shortages and water management. DEG was approached in July 2024 to partner with Revenue NSW in a location-based reporting pilot to help us further better outcomes from our Dealing with Fines program. In July the Elders Council supported the proposal and at its meeting 4 October 2024 after workshops and discussions about the project design determined to write to the Deputy Secretaries of Revenue NSW with its proposal for governance of the project and what resources are needed by DEG. A visit to Walgett of Revenue NSW officials was conducted in February 2025 and DEG is keen to proceed. Notable research DEG collaborated with YN partners on in this year included improving government finances for community control, Walgett disaster response and recovery, health impacts of high sodium in drinking water, linked administrative data, and analysing Walgett fines data. The Walgett Wellbeing Collaboration with Walgett AMS and Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT to establish a new wellbeing service for children and young people continued. Our YN Food and Water for Life Program with Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service implemented supermarket food choices promotions and supported a growing Walgett Gardeners Network. During the period it designed a Community Freezer program to distribute frozen free meals, and ways to embed food delivery in all programs. DEG made a number of policy contributions – links listed below.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI3ODI1