Army warmly welcomed into Laura with a song and a dance
The town of Laura in Far North Queensland will benefit from improved infrastructure and health services due to the arrival of around 200 soldiers and subcontract workers as part of the Aboriginal Army Community Assistance Programme.
Residents of the Far North Queensland town of Laura recently gathered to welcome visitors to their home, and the jobs and changes they will bring.
Over the next five months, a team of engineers, tradesmen and plant operators will live and work alongside local community members delivering infrastructure improvements, vocational skills training and health care services as part of the Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Programme (AACAP).
Joseph Lee Cheu – Deputy Chair of Ang Gnarra Aboriginal Corporation in Laura – gave the Welcome to Country speech to soldiers, mostly from the 6th Engineer Support Regiment, and subcontractors from a private firm called BMD.
Planning for the assistance program has been underway for almost two years and involved the collaboration of the Laura community, Cook Shire, Cape York Land Council (CYLC) and the Queensland Government.
Everyone walked through a ceremonial smoking area as part of the welcome and cultural awareness training for the visitors.
Amongst the officials who spoke was Major Jack Plimmer, the commanding officer of what will become a workforce of around 200.
"Work has already commenced on five main infrastructure projects which include a wastewater disposal system, a multi-purpose facility, a roof over the basketball court, 1000m of footpaths and community picnic grounds," Major Plimmer said.
“In the next week the Army will be commencing its accredited training packages, including Certificate II in hospitality, Certificate II in construction pathways, multimedia and business administration training.”
This training will assist the community to take advantage of the increased tourism in Cape York as a result of the sealing of the road that extends up the peninsula to the tip of Australia.
Dental clinics and oral health programs will also commence soon.
The ceremony wasn’t all official business. The Army Band played and then invited the local children to have a go. Lunch was served and in discussions with the Laura Ranger group, plans for sightseeing and fishing were made. The Quinkan Cultural Centre promoted rock art tours to Army personnel.
A football carnival is planned during the Army’s visit which will bring visiting teams from surrounding communities to Laura.
As part of AACAP’s 20th anniversary, the Army will celebrate the 2016 NAIDOC theme “Songlines” between 3-10 July, the celebration attracting collaborative arts, culture and sporting initiatives to Laura, inviting participation from locals, tourists, family and friends.
Find out more
The Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Programme (AACAP) is a collaborative partnership between the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Australian Army.
Resourcing of each AACAP project is shared between the Department of The Prime Minister and Cabinet, providing up to $6 million per year, and the Army, which contributes significant personnel and equipment resources for the works.
AACAP aims to improve environmental health and living conditions in remote Indigenous communities. The initiatives have been tailored specifically in collaboration with the town of Laura, the local Ang- Gnarra Aboriginal Corporation and relevant local, state and national Government agencies.
AACAP has successfully supported 42 Indigenous communities across Australia over the past 20 years.