Saving Fletcher’s Lake helps turn lives around

The benefits of caring for country can reach far beyond conservation and natural resource management. At Fletcher’s Lake in NSW, managing land and freshwater, including a small section of the Murray Darling Basin, has been life changing for some members of the local community.

Senior ranger of the local Barkindji Maraura ranger group, Dameion Kennedy, has been working with young Indigenous men from his community to address environmental issues on cultural heritage sites through the national Working on Country (WOC) Program.

Together with Barkindji Maraura elders, the traditional owners of the area, Dameion set out to train local men to work on country in response to social issues linked to high unemployment amongst local youth.

“There’s a lot of work to be done out on country and for the young blokes to be part of that gives them a sense of ownership and belonging and steers them away from all the bad stuff that’s going on,” Dameion said.

“We want to see more local Indigenous boys who respect their culture and heritage getting these jobs,” he said.

Drawing on Indigenous knowledge of country, the Barkindji Maraura rangers have helped create important environmental flows, repaired pest and weed damage and damage caused by recreational use of protected sites. They also regularly undertake monitoring and assessment of the local environment.

Dameion says support from the WOC program is helping him conserve the local environment and also improve lives.

“It’s rewarding to be able to create employment for younger men and see them get a wage each week to either look after their families or move out of home and get a place of their own,” he said.

Keeping kids in school is another focus of the Barkindji Maraura Ranger Group, which is involving local schools in their conservation work.

“By working with school kids, we’re showing them that it’s not hard to work towards a good clean future and to make their people proud,” Dameion said.

“We’ve had strong support from all different areas of the community because they’ve seen first-hand what the boys were like before they started these jobs,” Dameion said.

Junior rangers Dennis King, 22, and Howard Harris, 34, joined the Barkindji Maraura ranger group after completing a Certificate II and III in Horticulture.

“Before the programme I was involved in drugs and alcohol and was really just moving towards jail,” Dennis said. “Getting out on country and interacting with our culture has just opened this big pathway for us and the town, which can now see a future for everybody.”

“It feels good to have this job. It really turned my life around and the community now looks up to us as role models for the younger kids,” Howard said.