I am atWingellina,holding fort at the art centre  until the new manager comes in a couple of weeks.

 

ass been a busy time at Blackstone, a combination of the festival activities and my manning the community office while the CDA was away.  I was looking to head home to Keswick but there is a bit of a gap in the art centre being manned and I am now here for a few weeks til the new manager comes in a couple of weeks.  She sounds lovely and the artists will enjoy having her here and having their art marketed properly at last.

 

I am just keep the office seat warm and being friendling, making cups of tea etc.  the art centre house is lovely and there is a great year for Jane to roam around.

 

Ied to do a trip back to Blackstone to sort some of the paper stuff out.  I put it off today, it is very hot and thundery.   I will look at a quick trip on wednesday.  I will hopefully meet the new wing manager, she sounds lovely.

 

 

 relieving in the art centre blackstone.  watching my favourite oldie paint.  loving this.

also watching her daughter in law and grand sons taking advantage of her.  I guess it is her joy to be able

to be generous with them. 

getting excited as the blackstone festival time come nearer. 

 

 getting excited, working with Blackstone CDA at getting together a new Blackstone Festival.  It has been since before Covid that we have put to gether a festival.  Great Fun!

The Meltinpot and Mary G are coming up.  There will be sporting  activities, a fashion parade, some health initiatives, a community house clean up, some hair care for the oldies and ng media will bring its usual music fund.  Hopefully they will also do some filming of our activites.  really looking forward to this in October this year.

what a hoot!

 Well time flies.   Here I am in b]Blackstone holding the fort at the art centre.  I came up for my wonderful friend Freda Lanes' funeral.  As can happen, final plans have taken a while.  conveniently I am here while the new art centre manager has to be away, so I am holding the fort.  It is wonderful to see the ladies and their work.

Freda is now to be buried on Thursday 18th July.  It is really difficult to think of her ber last trip to the blackstone cemetary.  A wonderful and important friend for me during my time working up here.

As there has been quite a time in the final planning for Freday I have been supporting where I can in the art centre.  We are looking to get the paper project up and running again, so very exciting times.  BHP are looking for fund (fingers creossed) getting Erin up to train and the purchse of some of the equipment that has gone missing in the projects absense.  lucking much of the items required are still here.  

I am typing this in what used to be my office, as long ago ast 2009.  the centre has grown since then and has a lovely hisorty of art work.

The new young fella who is now working in the art centre is working well with the artists and there is a lovely atmosphere here.  He working well with the artists and getting on well in community.  He has been very positive with the paper project and we are hopeful the BHP will assist us.

I have particularly loved being in country, looking out and seeing the colour of this place, beautiful sunrise ansunset, the colour of the soil.  My friend Cliff Reid always told me this red dirt would get under my skin, how right he was.

 Well its tuesday afternoon,  It has been a difficult couple of days.  I am waiting to head to the police station to see if one of the Police officers will act as mediator between a couple of people in community.  quite a bit of bad blood and it needs to be calmed down.

We have enought to worry about at the moment with Covid on the borders of the lands.  the police are doing their best to limit travel between WA and SA.  Not easy with this mob who just cant understand the danger.

I am trying to make plans for a quick trip to Adelaide to see a surgeon.  I have had a bit of an accident and have a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder.  At time painfull, always uncomfortable, needs surgery, just wondering how and when with the current inter state border issues and having to sort my dogs while I am away.

I have a worrying leak from one of the gutters in the kitchen at keswick.  I am hoping when I am down, I can meet a plumber and see what we need to sort it.  I will be limited for time.  Probably I will need to quaranteen in Alice before being able to get over the boder to WA.

Apart from reporting for government, sorting the kitchen rules book before the food auditor arrives, updating the book of rules for community care project officers, time is busy thinking and discussing plans for when Covid arrives on Ngaanyatjarra Lands.  

A muddly and busy time.  This morning the police rang to check up on three community members who were at a nearby community and they were trying to assess whether they had crossed the border to SA.  Trouble for the is they have and management issues for us to quaranteen them and test them for Covid.

 

 

 

 

 A day, a week of mixed blessings.

As always there are difficulties with work bases and staffing.  At the moment the worst problem is the biggest community, Warburton.

I will go over next week and stay a few days to help the centre and to see what is going on, what is the problem.  I have asked to employ a cook, I think this will sort a number of issues.

I have for a while had a thought bubble about a training program run in each of the work bases with the schools.  It has not been easy to get good information or suggestions from the schools.  If I talk to the senior teacher or the head honcho in warakurna, the answer is yes we would love to participate in such a scheme but if I ask for advise or suggestions about how this would work, I get a no response, no feedback.  So, I have been doing a bit of research in to this as and when I have time. To day I actually got a call back and some positive feedback.

I have arranged to meet up with this person in august and we will thrash out a concept and see where it takes us.  I am feeling a bit more position about the idea now.

 I write so little these days.  I can hardly believe that we are well over a year into Covid.  vaccinations will roll out here soon, Ng Health has done a deal with the Flying Doctor, so I anticipate my first shot about the 28th June.  After all the fear of Covid and the possibility of it getting into the lands, I am tentatively breathing a sigh of relief,  the sooner this mob get the jab the better.

I am back in the Blackstone office after a big trip to Kiwirrkurra, firstly to hold the seat until a new employee could be found and then to meet with the manager of NRM and the Acting GM of the nealth service to look at options for the kitchen upgrade.  An upgrade much overdue.  Pretty exciting to think it will actually happen.

We are  having our first kitchen audit this week, so fingers crossed for our 4 registered kitchen, the staff work hard and hopefully the Auditor will appreciate their efforts.

Next week we start a two week training round, I will drive to Yulara to pick up Tony the traininer and we will start at Blackstone.  Due to Covid it has been a year since we had the regular training that we need to keep our staff equiped and with a good attitude towards the tasks needed to keep our service running smoothly.  It has been difficult with the isolation that Covid has foisted on us, to keep local workers engaged in the job.  Next year we hope to work with the schoold on a training program, starting with year 10 students which will grow interest and excitements regarding work programs in Ng Health.  Fingers crossed?