Community Feedback
The project established a community newsletter, Ngukurr News,
to fill an information gap that emerged during the conduct of
our research and an important deficiency in the local access to
information about community related matters and relations with
external organisations. Our Research Assistants also identified
a need for themselves to take more initiative in their work as
part of the project.
The aims of the newsletter included: developing the skills base
of our Research assistants, including decisions about content
and form, interviewing and writing up of work; providing regular
information to the community in an easily accessible form on local
events and matters of interest and concern; reporting and providing
commentary on current and future activities; reporting to the
community on the activities of SEALCP.
The Ngukurr News has become a significant part of Ngukurr life
and offers a strong view of the community’s interests and
activities internally and to the outside world. It is one of the
main means for communicating activities and matters of interest
to a wide range of community members and has played a part in
opening up the flows of information within the community. Service
agencies, politicians, Norforce, sporting organisations, cultural
groups, the Northern Land Council, the local government Council,
the School and the Health Clinic are among the many organisations
who have utilised Ngukurr News.
Work on the Ngukurr News has been important for skill development
and the building of both capacity and confidence in our research
assistants. This is particularly true of Daphne Daniels, but also
of Miranda and Keith Rogers. More recently a number of teenage
girls have been doing work experience with the News under the
direction of Kate and Daphne. The News continued through 2003
and 2004 with financial support from News Limited and Rio Tinto
Limited. It was also restructured in 2003 as a community owned
venture with Ms Daphne Daniels as editor. The paper has continued
to receive support from the University and the Yugul Mangi Community
Government Council.
