To view the CAT Annual Report for 2011 click here

Walungurru 30 year Celebration: Proud to be Pintupi!

Between the 14th and 16th October 2011, Walungurru Council (Kintore) staged a festival to mark 30 years since the Pintupi moved back from Papunya and the surrounding region to establish their own community and homelands in their own Country, some 550km north west of Alice Springs and close to the WA Border. CAT has been involved with Kintore since the beginning, initially helping to establish access to potable water by installing hand water pumps and constructing pit toilets. The festival was an amazing celebration of the community's vision and resilience, attracting more than 700 visitors (including Minister Garrett, Neil Murray and anthropologist Fred Myers, various NGOs and friends from surrounding communities and beyond).

Click here to view the 7.30 report item on the festival

NIIG hits the road

The National Indigenous Infrastructure Guide (NIIG) Information Sessions hit the road on 13th September in Alice Springs, hosted at CAT's facilities. The Information Sessions are designed to create awareness about NIIG, its background and development, structure and use, and to familiarise potential users on how to use the guide. They are  also forums for discussion and to collect feedback.

The Alice Springs session was well attended by a disparate group comprising representatives from power and water industry organisations, Aboriginal service  organisations,  electricians, architects and building surveyors. The discussions at the end of the session were animated and useful suggestions emerged with regards to the possibility of developing supplementary materials for a greater range of end-users.



The NIIG roadshow will travel to Tennant Creek, Darwin, Katherine and possibly to Maningrida. Similar excursions are planned to WA, Qld and SA in the coming weeks.

To register for a workshop in Tennant Creek, Darwin, Katherine, WA, QLD and SA, please contact: yash.srivastava@icat.org.au or ph: 08 8959 6100

Indigenous Rangers dream becomes a reality through Corporate Sponsorship

September 9th, 2011 will mark the official opening of the Bana Yarralji Bubu Ranger Base at Shipton's Flat, near Cooktown, QLD. The new facility includes a power and water supply, an environmentally appropriate waste water treatment, an office, communications systems and ablutions block containing composting toilets, showers, storage and laundry facilities on a site that previously had nothing. The Bana Yarralji Bubu Ranger Base will be the home to an on-country Indigenous Ranger and Conservation program which is currently underway with 10 rangers.  This building project showcases leading practice corporate social responsibility, where the vision of a remote Indigenous community, has translated into action with the help of corporate partners, Aurecon, SKM and ARUP. The corporate-community partnership was developed and facilitated by NGOs; the Centre for Appropriate Technology and Engineers Without Borders.






National Science Week at CAT: students sample Desert Science 101



Today, August 18, 2011, the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT) hosted a tour of desert science projects in celebration of National Science Week. The tour was supported by funding from the Australian Government's Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. 50 students from Yipirinya, St. Philips and Centralian high schools attended, ranging from Years 6 - 11. Students were shown a variety of initiatives and projects underway at the Desert Knowledge Precinct including the CAT Wicking Bed, CAT's Bushlight Renewable Energy Demonstration House and the DKA Solar Demonstration Facility. A highlight of the tour, was the assembling a folding chairs, conducted by CAT's trainers in the construction workshop. Overall, it was a good opportunity to see how science in the desert works, and what type of projects involving appropriate technology are occurring in Indigenous communities throughout Australia. As part of the tour, the students completed a science pop-quiz. We share with you some of their insightful reflections on what "appropriate technology" and "livelihoods" mean to them:


"Livelihood is what you have and how you live."

You can download a PDF of the magazine here

You can download BUSH TECH #50 and download BUSH TECH #51

Internet on the outstation

Indigenous training boost in Desert Australia

On Friday, 6th May, 2011, a new Construction Training Facility for the Centre for Appropriate Technology at the Desert Peoples Centre was opened by Minister Warren Snowdon. The Facility is a significant expansion of the capacity for construction and fabrication training for Central Australia. Funding totaling $1.5M was provided by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

CAT Chairman Peter Renehan thanked the Australian Government for its funding support, and emphasized the importance of investment in training and education as a key strategy in Indigenous futures. Mr. Renehan said he was excited by the potential of the facility - "this is not just about training but the opportunity for training to link directly to practical work experience, and beyond that to broader social development and social enterprise - we are keen to use the facility to develop partnerships with community and private sector groups."

The first group of learners are scheduled to begin training in the facility in June 2011.

Success in West Kimberley Municipal Services


CAT's Indigenous Municipal Service Officers,
left to right: Ivan Shaw, Glenn Bonney, Clarence Cox, Andrew Skinner

Two CAT initiatives in recycling and waste management have been charging ahead in the Fitzroy Valley. In November 2010 CAT opened its depot in Fitzroy Crossing, where CAT now employs 18 Indigenous Municipal Service Officers (MSOs) who service 30 plus communities in the Fitzroy Valley Region. In December 2010 CAT signed an MOU with the Packaging Stewardship Forum, which has helped it establish a pilot recycling scheme for seven communities already receiving municipal services. With big wet season floods receding, CAT MSOs have installed beverage container cages which were recently constructed for communities at the depot workshop. CAT has recently won Community Grants Scheme funding from the WA Waste Authority, which will go towards assisting two communities near Fitzroy Crossing, Muludja and Bayulu, in implementing waste management and recycling plans. These initiatives have helped CAT further develop its strong partnerships with Kimberley Communities, to improve local environmental health and develop sustainable livelihoods in Municipal Services. Good work CAT West Kimberley team!

Exploring the nature of "Caring for Country"



On the 4th of March at Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, Centre for Appropriate Technology's Noah Pleshet gave a presentation for the Rangeleand Biology and Ecology Seminars on the evolving nature and application of the term commonly known as "caring for country". The presentation was attended by an audience including: scientists, land management practitioners, and government administrators of land management programs. Noah discussed the development of ideas about "caring for country," a phrase first used to describe traditional Aboriginal responsibilities for land. He found was that the term "caring for country" has had many different meanings over time. From the late 1980s, this phrase has been associated with Aboriginal involvement in land management. More recently it has been used in studies which attempt to measure the ecological and human health benefits of Aboriginal land use. He argued that ideas and policies which accept and try to understand change in "caring for country" will be a more hopeful basis for engaging with younger Aboriginal people, both in land management decision-making and work.



 

Get Ready for Water, sanitation and hygiene conference
WASH 2011

On May 16-20, 2011 in Brisbane, Australia, practitioners and professionals from governments, donors and NGOs, students and academics will come together to discuss one of the greatest challenges to the WASH sector: sustainability. The WASH conference and training program will focus primarily, but not exclusively, on WASH services provision in developing countries. The WASH Conference is coordinated by the Water and Sanitation (WASH) Reference Group in conjunction with AusAID. The WASH Conference is managed by International WaterCentre and International WaterForum.
Click here for more information.

National Indigenous Infrastructure Guide helps with
transport and road upgrades in remote communities


caption: stormwater drain system used for type 1, 2 and 3 roads.

Want to learn more about how transport infrastructure impacts remote Indigenous communities?  Download NIIG's chapter on transport here.

Climate Change out bush: See what OurPlace Magazine has to say


caption: Jessie Bartlett Nungarrayi speaks about Aboriginal culture and conservation

The climate change debate in Australia, raises a number of challenges and opportunities for Indigenous communities out bush. In this special edition, OurPlace Magazine takes a look at the major issues of importance to remote Indigenous communities.

Download this latest special edition Our Place magazine here

Read CAT's Annual Report 2009-2010



Learn more about projects and activities CAT has undertaken across remote Indigenous communities throughout Australia in the 2009-2010 financial year.

Download the  CAT Annual Report for 2009-2010 here

Tackling water contamination risks after a flood hits

Floods are dangerous both during and after the event. Flood waters have the potential to damage critical infrastructure and also spread disease.

Sewage can make its way into floodwaters and then into water supplies, making water unsafe to drink. Contaminated water can infect cuts and sores on unprotected skin and pools of stagnant water provide ideal conditions for the growth of mosquitoes.

If your community has suffered flooding, there are a few steps you can take to secure your water supply:

1. Conduct a risk assessment -Walk the supply from source to household tap.
2. Identify any hazards that may be present or caused by storm damage.
3. If you suspect the flooding has affected your water supply, tell others to boil their water.
4. Notify the authorities of anything that may be dangerous.
5. If possibble and safe to do so, fix the problem.

If you think that your supply has become contaminated, you should take preventative measures before drinking the water. This may mean boiling your water or disinfecting it with bleach. Information on how to do this is provided on the websites below.

The Health Departments in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria all have information available on their websites on how to stay safe during the flood cleanup.

Queensland: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/healthieryou/disaster/
New South Wales: http://www.emergency.health.nsw.gov.au/floods/index.asp
Victoria:http://www.health.vic.gov.au/environment/emergency_mgmnt/flood.htm

Science and Technology Education at Yuendumu School,
World Toilet Day 2010


Yuendumu school student, Shikara, making a microbe

November 19th is World Toilet Day, a special day set aside for talking about how important toilets are to all of us in staying healthy. CAT's Noah Pleshet and Stephen Purvis teamed up with Sophie Constable (AMRICC) to deliver a fun-packed session about toilets and poo at Yuendumu School. Together they asked and answered questions like, "What's in poo?" or "What's a germ?" Activities were designed to get kids thinking about the kinds of germs found in human or animal poo, and the connections between human and animal health. Steve and Noah focused on the challenges of the human poo and the sewage system, while Sophie drew on her experience of dog health programs in remote settlements to talk about the challenges of dog poo. Everyone was introduced to some germs typically found in poo, like Salmonella, Giardia, and E. coli. We used puppets of these microbes, as well as toilets and stools, to introduce these ideas to Yuendumu kids, and then set them some microbe crafts activities. The younger kids did colouring-in of microbes, toilets, dog health and hygiene materials, while years 3 to secondary made craft creations of microbes using materials including wool, card, plastic eyes, glue, pencils and felt pens. After recess we all watched some fun animated films about poo and hand washing, and Steve explained how poo gets from Yuendumu school all the way to the sewage works. A good time was had by all!





CAT submission on Indigenous economic development strategy released

Check out CAT's new submission to the Australian Government on the "Indigenous economic development strategy draft for consultation and Action Plan 2010-2012".
This can be viewed here.





Download latest Bushtechs on reducing household energy use and protecting your home against denghue outbreaks

Bushtech 49: Proteching your home against denghue outbreaks can be viewed here

Bushtech 48: How to reduce household energy use can be viewed here

Learning about water risk management in Fitzroy Crossing



caption:Panorama of participants (Municipal Service Officers and Environmental Health Workers) taking part in a mapping exercise of the water supplies various communities in the region.

A workshop for community residents and service providers to learn how to use the Community Water Planner Field Guide was held in Fitzroy Crossing on the 29th of November 2010. Thirty five people from the region participated in water planning activities and learned about water risk management principles.

Thanks to everyone who enthusiastically participated. Thanks also to the National Water Commission for funding the project and our project partners The WA Department of Water and the Kimberley Land Council. In 2011 many of the participants of the workshop will be creating their own water management plans in their community.

"Desert Services that work" Research Report Launched


caption: community researchers Denicia Luther and Zena Kelly
interviewing residents on housing changes 

During 2009 CAT undertook extensive research at the Indigenous communities of Lajamanu and Ali Curung in the Northern Territory, exploring the reforms occurring around housing and tenancy management. The project team from CAT worked closely with Indigenous community researchers at each community to develop an understanding of community residents 'house stories' and how these were interacting with the changeover from community housing to public housing, the Indigenous Strategic Housing and Infrastructure Program (SIHIP) and local government reform.

This research formed part of the 'Desert Services that Work' Project led by CAT for the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre. The report can be downloaded here.





CAT Energy Efficiency Program wins top AusIndustry award



On November 26, 2010 in Darwin, Northern Territory, CAT's Marteena McKenzie was announced the winner of the the AusIndustry New Generation Research and Innovation Award. The award required each finalist (all under 35 years old) to produce research of exceptional quality that benefits the Territory in some innovative way. Marteena submitted her work on an energy efficiency program designed specifically for Indigenous households in Australia. The program helps each household reduce their energy use by emphasizing behavioural change with the aid of specially-designed energy resources. The program was drawn out of the experience CAT had gained through its Bushlight program which has been assisting Aboriginal communities for the past eight years save money on power and introduce renewable energy systems to provide life and light in the bush.







CATs and Dogs CAN DO amazing things together....



On Thursday, October 15^th, Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC) ran a workshop in Alice Springs on their recently printed manual, Dog Health Programs in Indigenous Communities. The manual is targeted at Indigenous Environmental Health Practitioners and local people. CAT Research Officer, Noah Pleshet, attended the workshop on behalf of the Technical Resource Group to gain a better understanding of a key environmental health and waste management issue affecting remote settlements.

If you'd like to learn more on community water planner field guide, CAT is now running workshops for Aboriginal communities and organizations that work with or in them on how to manage your water community small water supply. For more information on this, call us on: 08 8959 6100, or email us on info@icat.org.au.





cool drinks and damper save the day

On Tuesday, August 24th, 2010, Aboriginal learners from the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT) began a three-day collaboration, working with local artists to build a sound sculpture that will be launched at the Alice Springs Desert Festival opening street parade in mid-September. The sound sculpture project is a collaborative effort between Red Hot Arts, local artists Dan Murphy and Steve Langton, CAT and Batchelor Institute (BIITE). The concept of the sound sculpture is to use recycled materials - plumbing pipes, mags from car tyres, bicycle wheels and steel frames to put together a mobile sculpture, that when tapped or played, produces a variety of resonant and vibrant sounds. Plans are being formulated for rotating the sound sculpture as a public artwork, for use by students in remote communities and around Alice, as an music educational resource tool. 

For the CAT learners, this was an opportunity to apply the skills they are learning from the welding component of their Atworks Certificate program, and help weld segments of the frame into place on the structure. "It's a wonderful feeling of excitement for students to ractice welding and then immediately apply what they are learning and weld directly onto the sculpture. It's a great way to contribute our CAT learner skills and support the Desert Festival and community in this fashion" says Theo Fisher, technical trainer, who runs the welding component of the CAT Atworks certificate program.

The Centre for Appropriate Technology is delighted to contribute towards this community effort and looks forward to seeing the launch of this sound sculpture at the Alice Springs Desert Festival.

The Centre for Appropriate Technology is undertaking a project in conjunction with Swinburne University and the Central Land Council, to explore the technical and social factors that affect the successful introduction and use of computers and Internet access in remote Indigenous communities.

The project will track the progress of an implementation program in the households of three small to medium sized communities in central Australia - Kwale Kwale, Mungalawurru (Mungalawurru is also the central Australian location for CAT's Bushlight livelihoods project) and Imangara.

The first stage of the project is a baseline study that is exploring residents' current level of engagement with computers and the Internet, and their aspirations with these technologies. 

Later, computers, printers and Internet access facilities will be installed in the homes of participating residents.  Over the three year course of the project, research will examine the factors that contribute to successful adoption of computers, as well as the influence of constraints such as low literacy and numeracy in English, low income levels, limited school level exposure and training in computer use, and the perceived relevance and value of computers.

Funding support is being provided by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network and the Aboriginals Benefit Account.