Fortnightly news in brief from Jabiru, Warruwi, Minjilang, Maningrida and Gunbalanya Edition 315 19 June - 2 July 2014 [email protected] 08 8979 9465 Published by West Arnhem Regional Council TRIATHLON TRIUMPHS THIS EDITION DRAMATIC RESCUE AT CROSSING The Kakadu Cultural Tours boat turned up in the nick of time to rescue this woman stranded at Cahill’s Crossing – but you’ll never guess why. PAGE 3 > WILD DOGS THREATEN QUOLLS Kakadu rangers call on residents not to feed wild dogs as quoll numbers decline. PAGE 5 > GET INTO THE GROOVE Bring a rug, some wine, and relax to the sounds of blues, country, folk and pop at Kakadu Groove. PAGE 9 > MIXED NETBALL RESULTS Women’s and Men’s Individual winners in the 2014 Kakadu Triathlon, Rebekka Atz and 2013 champion Chris Piggott-McKellar with their trophies on race day, Saturday 31 May. For the second year running, the triathlon was a triumph, as107 competitors came together with supporters and volunteers from across the Jabiru community to raise more than $8200 for CareFlight. SEE MORE, PAGE 19 >> All the action from courtside in Jabiru. PAGE 17 > West Arnhem Wire - Fortnightly news in brief from Jabiru, Gunbalanya, Maningrida, Warruwi and Minjilang 2 WHAt’s on PLENTY TO DO IN KAKADU SEE OUR SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM ON PAGE 10 If you have an upcoming event you would like to see listed in this space please phone Mark Coddington on 0459 060 370 or email [email protected]. The Book Fair and Market Day is on Saturday 21 June at the Jabiru Town Plaza from 8.30am to 12 noon. JUNE Thu 19 West Arnhem College Jabiru Fete, 4-8pm Thu 19 Jabiru’s Got Talent, Jabiru Area School 7pm Sat 21 Book Fair & Market Day, Jabiru Town Plaza 8.30am Wed 25 ERA Community Information Day and Ranger Mine Visitors to Kakadu, May Wang and Sian Vate from Melbourne, join a tour of the rock art site at Ubirr. tour, Jabiru Town Plaza 9am-3pm Sat 28 Gold Panning Championships, Pine Creek LOOKING for things to do in The walking track starts at the Mondays Morning Fitness Class, Jabiru School MPA, Kakadu? Why not join in the end of an unsealed road off 5.45–6.30am 0413 856 320 free ranger-guided activity the Nourlangie turnoff. Take program? note of signage. Mondays Aoife’s Swim School, infants, toddlers, school age, bookings 0450 495 687 There are more than 40 free Are you an Aboriginal rock art Mondays Ranger guided walk, Bowali Track, Croc Hotel weekly activities to choose fan? Take the 3.4 km return foyer 8.30am from, including daily rock walk to the Nanguluwur art art site talks at Ubirr and site. This quiet site is an easy Mondays Rock Art slideshow, Aurora Kakadu Lodge Jabiru Nourlangie, night-time walk through woodlands and 7.30pm slideshows across the park a must-see for those seeking Tuesdays Mixed netball, Jabiru Sports & Social Club 6pm six nights a week, guided out amazing rock art. Tuesdays Jabiru Art & Craft Group, Kakadu Youth Centre, walks, and cultural activities. cnr Gregory Place & Leichardt Street 7.30-9.30pm Be mindful that park rangers You can even learn to weave have begun their annual fire Tuesdays Jabiru Playgroup, Jabiru Courthouse 9.30-11am and paint. The rock art tour management activities for the Wednesdays Morning Fitness Class, Jabiru School MPA, at Ubirr is a highlight, with Marcus from Njanjma Rangers dry season. explaining the significance of 5.45–6.30am 0413 856 320 Njanjma Rangers taking the Ubirr rock art. Wednesdays Clontarf Community Circuit Training, Jabiru tourists on an informative Smoke associated with these Area School MPA, 3.30pm stroll through rock art sites activities may be encountered while travelling through the park on major Wednesdays Mixed social tennis, JSSC 5.30pm and outdoor ‘classrooms’ up to the amazing lookout above the surrounding wetlands. roads. Please drive with care and observe Wednesdays Women’s Self-Defence Classes, Jabiru any safety signage at this time, and be on the Community Hall, 5.30-7pm The friendly and knowledgeable rangers share lookout for wildlife near roads. Thursdays Italian Night, JSSC Bistro their stories and information in a mix of English To download the Parks What’s On Guide, go to Thursdays Photography interest group, JSSC 7pm and Kunwinjku/Ggunwok. www.parksaustralia.gov.au/kakadu/pub/ Thursdays Buffalo Days slideshow, Aurora Kakadu Lodge If you feel like a hike, you can also check out whatson-2014.pdf Jabiru 7.30pm Gubara, a 6km return walk past sandstone cliffs Fridays Morning Fitness Class, Jabiru School MPA, to shady monsoon forest pools -- a pleasant See our feature story on the Njanjma 5.45–6.30am 0413 856 3206 place to be during the heat of the day. Rangers guided art tours on page 11. Thursdays Kakadu Rangers’ Behind the Scenes slideshow, Aurora Kakadu Lodge Jabiru 7.30pm Fridays Badge Draw and raffles, buffet and food specials, Jabiru Golf Club from 7pm THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN Saturdays Aoife’s Swim School, infants, toddlers, school age, bookings 0450 495 687 Thumbs Up to two local businesses Thumbs Down to those who play loud Saturdays Ranger guided walk, Nawurlandja 5pm (you know who you are) who helped rock music in campgrounds - not everyone Sundays Ranger guided walk, Gunlom 8.15am fix the lights at Magela Oval. shares your lack of taste in music! JULY Thumbs Up to Jabiru firies for winning Thumbs Down to disrespecting Tue 1 Territory Day the NT Fire Fighters Games - again! Traditional Owners by drinking alcohol Fri 4 Charity Auction, friends of Nina’s Ark Wildlife Sanctuary, at sacred sites in Arnhem Land. Jabiru Golf Club 6pm Thumbs Up to the Jabiru community for Sat 19 ERA Community Information Day and Ranger Mine the time and effort they put into making Thumbs Down to not keeping your dog tour, Jabiru Town Plaza 9am-3pm the 2014 Kakadu Triathlon a success. fenced in, especially at night. Mon 23 Kevin Bloody Wilson, Jabiru Sports & Social Club The West Arnhem Wire | 19 June - 2 July 2014 West Arnhem Wire - Fortnightly news in brief from Jabiru, Gunbalanya, Maningrida, Warruwi and Minjilang 3 RANGER PLANT HIGH DRAMA AT CROSSING GETS GO-AHEAD ENERGY Resources Australia (ERA) has been given the green light to restart its Ranger processing plant. Operations were suspended on 9 December 2013 after a leach tank failure at the site. On 5 June 2014, Australian Minister for Industry Ian Macfarlane and NT Minister for Mines and Energy Willem Westra van Holthe gave approval to ERA WOMAN is lucky to be alive after her vehicle tp recommence operations on a was swept off Cahill’s Crossing amid rising stage-by-stage basis. Awaters at East Alligator River. In a statement, ERA said it had Her car was pushed onto rocks by the force of an cooperated fully with the NT and incoming 7.1 metre high tide shortly before noon on Commonwealth regulators as well Friday 13 June. as commissioning independent investigations into the leach tank In dramatic scenes, the woman was pulled from her incident. vehicle when a tour bout arrived unexpectedly on the scene. The woman, who works in Gunbalanya Welcoming the approval of the but does not wish to be named, tried to make the restart, ERA Chief Executive dangerous crossing in the wake of a large truck. Andrea Sutton acknowledged the “serious incident” had damaged Visitors on a nearby viewing platform watched community confidence in its helplessly as her Toyota Hilux was swept off the road operations. and swung around by the force of the water, coming Passenger on the Guluyambi, Larry Turner, helps the to rest precariously on rocks. According to witnesses woman out of her Hilux stranded at Cahill’s Crossing “We recognise that an important she began blasting the horn and crying for help. PHOTOS: BEV TURNER aspect of the recovery from this incident will be restoration of Cahill’s Crossing, between Jabiru and Gunbalanya, Larry grabbed her out of the boat. We were all a that confidence in our processing is a bottleneck for barrumundi, and crocs in the East bit shocked.” operations,” Ms Sutton said. Alligator River come from a kilometre around to feed there on the high tide. Mr Namarnyilk ran the Guluyambi right up to the “To achieve that outcome we window of the stranded Hilux. undertook an extensive review of the integrity of the plant’s “She could have drowned,” he said. “If she’d had “If the water is above equipment, our maintenance and electric windows, the salt water could have killed the inspections plans and we also electrics, making it harder to get her out. 600mm, stay away” reviewed plant process safety.” “I realised the window She said measures had been was down, and the Neville Namarnyilk, at the helm of the Kakadu water was halfway taken to prevent anything similar Cultural Tours boat Guluyambi, came to the rescue up the door, and still happening in the future. of the woman, with passengers dragging her to rising. safety through the window of her car. He said she “We expect the processing plant was very lucky. “I took the nose of the to return to normal production boat hard against the levels during the third quarter of “We were running late and I was about to turn my front door. this year.” boat to go upstream from the ramp, but there was a big bird came from nowhere,” Mr Namarnyilk said. “A few of my ERA said it expected its 2014 customers jumped up, production of uranium oxide to “I wanted to go and look at the bird, a white bellied one guy held the truck be between 1100 and 1500 sea eagle, and as we got closer we saw people against the boat, the tonnes, with the suspension of waving from the crossing, trying to tell us something.” other guy took her bag processing costing the company Mr Namarnyilk said he was drawn to the crossing and laptop and put it an estimated $120 to $140 by the bird, which he believes to be a marrawudi Neville Namarnyilk at the on the boat, then they million for the first half of the year.