Koori Mail

ORGANISERS of the inaugural Boomerang Festival near Byron Bay in NSW are vowing it will return next year larger and stronger. Festival director, Bundjalung woman Rhoda Roberts, who had long dreamed of holding an event in her home country, told the Koori Mail she was extremely confident the cultural showcase would continue to grow. The three-day festival continues today.

RUGBY league superstar Greg Inglis is trading in his footy boots to strut his stuff for the inaugural Australian Indigenous Fashion Week (AIFW). Inglis will join model Samantha Harris on the catwalk, as he takes on the role of AIFW ambassador and model. AIFW will foster the talents and showcase quality designs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders from all over Australia under the one banner.  Its aim is to bolster Indigenous economic development, facilitate fair trade and assist Indigenous designers and artists create sustainable businesses.

A NEW report has found Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have higher rates of new cancer cases and cancer deaths than non-Indigenous Australians. The report, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and Cancer Australia, details the leading causes of cancer deaths in Australia. Indigenous Australians are 50 per cent more likely to die from cancer than other Australians. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

THE Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Team’s national Indigenous boys under-17s have arrived in France for a two-week tour. The squad of 23 will play games against under-17 sides from Racing Metro, Cote d’Argent and Stade Toulousain. They will also take in cultural experiences at significant World War I monuments including the Menin Gate Memorial and the Passchendale and Somme battlefields. The tours will include visits to the graves of Private Daniel Cooper and William Allan Irwin, the only Aboriginal solider to receive the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

THE Southern Dingoes defeated the Yarrabah Seahawks  44-10 in the men’s final of the Queensland Murri Rugby League Carnival on Sunday. In the women’s final the Highlanders beat the Inala Panthers 10-8. Despite the great action on the field, the carnival was marred by disruptions due to claims regarding Aboriginality and eligibility of players. The Arthur Beetson Foundation, which runs the carnival, passed a resolution that all protests will incur a lodgement fee, which will be returned if the protest is successful.

YOLNGU Elder Laklak Burarrwanga and her family have released a new book, Welcome to My Country, which invites readers to imagine a tour of their homelands at Bawaka, Arnhem Land. Through traditional stories and personal accounts, readers are given an insight into the spiritual meaning of the land, its flora and fauna, as well as the day-to-day life of the Yolngu people. Elements of Ms Burarrwanga’s story are included in the book, from her walk across Arnhem Land as a child to her people’s fight for land rights and the inclusion of Yolngu languages in schooling.

AN innovative approach to help Aboriginal interpreters prepare for high-pressure legal situations is in the final testing stages in the Northern Territory. Community Services Minister Bess Price said the Aboriginal Interpreter Service (AIS) helps to alleviate the language barriers faced by many Indigenous people in the Territory. She said the app will assist with training interpreters, familiarising them with legal situations and allowing them to check for accuracy and speed. The app is only available on android devices and will be available for use within two months.

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has officially announced the formation of the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) and called for applications for positions. As announced before the election, Bundjalung businessman Warren Mundine will chair the IAC. Mr Abbott said the council would inform the Government’s policy implementation and ‘focus on practical changes to improve the lives of Aboriginal people’. People who wish to apply to be part of the advisory council can register their interest by email indigenousadvisorycouncil@pmc.gov.au

THE Wik and Wik Way people of far north Queensland have been issued with the freehold title for an area of 730,000 hectares, believed to be the largest Aboriginal freehold deed issued in Queensland. The deed formally recognises the Wik and Wik Way people as owners of the land at Aurukun, on the western side of Cape York Peninsula. Aurukun Shire Council will be the trustee of the town area and the reserve land and Ngan Aak-Kunch Aboriginal Corporation will be trustee of the balance.

ABORIGINAL children in remote areas are in need of a school curriculum that has relevance to their lives and values, according to speakers at a public lecture organised by Flinders University, to be held in Alice Springs on Wednesday, September 18. Red Dirt Curriculum: Reimagining Remote Education is the title of this year’s Sidney Myer Rural Lecture, which will be presented at the Business and Innovation Centre by Karina Lester, Makinti Minutjukur, Sam Osborne and Katrini Tjitayi at 7.30pm.