Riverland Rangers caring for the environment
The Riverland Rangers ‘Working on Country’ (WOC) Indigenous ranger programme is not only looking after country but providing much needed employment and self-esteem for local Aboriginal people.
Throughout Australia, Indigenous Rangers are working hard to ensure the local environment is properly cared for. Rangers maintain environmental and cultural assets including wetlands and large expanses of vegetation, and look after threatened species and significant cultural sites.
But the Indigenous Rangers programme is so much more.
In the Riverland region of South Australia, the Riverland Rangers programme is giving local Aboriginal people much needed employment opportunities and skills.
The team of six Aboriginal rangers and a coordinator, work primarily on Calperum and Taylorville stations in the north-east of the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin.
Karmel Milson, a ranger working at Calperum Station, ten kilometres north of Renmark, has seen massive changes to her and her family’s fortunes since she started her job.
“I’ve been saying to my kids for years, ‘I can’t afford that, can’t afford that’. Now, I can pay my bills, and I can give my kids everything,” Karmel said.
“My youngest, he’s eight years old, wants to be a Calperum Ranger and my kids are proud of me. I can actually stand on my own two feet and do it all. It makes me feel great,” she said.
The Riverland Rangers project is designed to support the local Aboriginal community’s desires for greater involvement in natural and cultural resources management and to address community problems such as high unemployment, low school attendance and health and wellbeing issues.
A key part of the project is the maintenance of culture and the transfer of traditional knowledge from Elders to younger community members.
With every task a Riverland Ranger like Amanda Morgan faces comes the acquisition of new skills.
“Before I worked here I had no car licence or anything,” Amanda said.
“Now I’m one of the best grader operators out here.
“Last week, my older sister said I was her inspiration, which is amazing. I’m the youngest, and the youngest is supposed to look up to older sisters but it’s me that is the inspiration,” she said.
Locals are so eager to become Riverland Rangers they are willing to volunteer to get experience. Georgina Stockfish’s son worked for two weeks as a volunteer in order to prove himself.
“That to me told me everything I needed to know about my boy. I'm very proud of him,” Georgina said.
The Rangers are working for country and the country is working for them.
Find out more
This project is funded under the Australian Government’s Indigenous Advancement Strategy and is a partnership between the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board the Australian Government, and the Australian Landscapes Trust.
Having a job helps people build the future they want for their families and their communities. The Australian Government also supports Indigenous communities to manage Indigenous Protected Areas (IPA) for land conservation and to create jobs for people in remote locations where there are limited employment opportunities.
More information can be found in Reporting back 2013-14: Working on Country and Indigenous Protected Areas Programmes.