Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025 67 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 15 Cultural values maintenance – inform environmental water delivery – Flow MER 2 Above and below right: DEG River Rangers and Wayilwan Elders Councillors in Macquarie Marshes with UNSW and Wayilwan associates. DEG has been engaged as the Cultural Advisor Team for the Lower Balonne Flow MER 2 project commissioned by Dept of Climate Change, Environment Energy and Water to measure outcomes from environmental water actions. This work for DEG includes describing the cultural outcomes the Walgett Aboriginal community expects to be measured from environmental water, and supporting the other Flow MER teams to understand how to work with Aboriginal traditional owners to understand Country. Two-way knowledge sharing is an outcome of this project. DEG benefits from learning survey techniques so that we can communicate to governments and other scientists what is important to keep alive in Country from water WITH EVIDENCE THEY UNDERSTAND. please check and improve/ add anything about Flow MER? Left: DEG visited Lightning Ridge LALC in November 2024 to discuss Flow MER work and a Narran River project. Brenda McBride, Patrina Brown, Rick Townsend, Zoe Sands. Right: While visiting the Macquarie Marshes with Flow MER Project Lead Kate Brandis we coincided with the annual water bird count project, and made some observations ourselves from a viewing platform. 16 The Ngarrangarra-li Walaaybaa Rangers led by Walgett Gamilaraay wirring.gaa Zoe Sands, carried out a range of activities. Their daily activities included water quality monitoring, bird surveying, turtle surveying, on Country knowledge sharing, FLOW MER and working with the YWS to deliver activities to young people just to name a few. We did trips away to other Ranger groups in NSW learning what they do on their Country. Rangers participated in training at TAFE and purchased a small tractor to look after the walkways on the Ngamaay River and a new boat to be able to carry out our water testing work. We work with the University of New South Wales and Charles Sturt University on water quality sampling, pesticide monitoring, in the Ngamaay and Baawan Rivers, and undertook field trips to better understand rivers and streams that flow into the DEG Area of Interest of the Condamine-Balonne, Namoi, Castlereagh, Macquarie rivers. We are developing cultural flow management skills. Ngarrangarra-li Walaaybaa (Look after Home Country) Walgett River Rangers Left: New Ranger boat that was picked up from Dubbo in October. Right: Rangers learning about irrigation systems down south 30mins west of Deniliquin. Far right: Rangers putting the turtle net in to do some turtle surveying. Left: DEG Rangers doing a cultural burn on the 12th Sept 2024. Right: Rangers attended conference in Darwin Aug 2024.
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