Community Council Story

We have meetings every Monday here. We talk about the issues of the community, budget, ATSIC stuff, and local government. We talk about what's happening at the school, the clinic, the store, and the garage. We've got a primary and a secondary school here. Not bad for a little community!

A big part of our job is to look after the community assets, make sure everyone looks after the vehicles. We also need to control any problems coming from alcohol, if there are drunks, or if there's fights or break-ins. We've got to sort it out from here because there's no police in this community. That's one of the main things we talk about at every meeting. We need to get police stationed here in this community.

We need also really need a sports and recreation hall, and workers. There is nothing to do for young children here. They get bored and then they start sniffing and fighting. We've got a lot of good, young sports people here. We need help. We need some of our young people to be trained up to be sports and recreation officers.

We also run the roadhouse, Mt Ebenezer. The community people own the roadhouse. We work to solve the problems at the road house. We check the beer list. People in the community are allowed a limited amount of beer from there everyday, between five and seven pm. If there are any problems we sort them out. We also own and run Angus Downs, which is being developed as a homeland.

Our council elections take place every year in July. Everyone in the community is eligible for nomination. Community members register their interest at the office with the council clerk, and he takes their photo and a form is filled out. After that the election takes place as a secret ballot. Community members drop tickets into boxes, each nominee has a box with their photo on it. Somebody from the Electoral Commission comes to run and oversee the process.

The community council is responsible for managing and overseeing all areas of the community except for the primary school and the high school which are run by the NT government dept of education.

Margaret Smith	Elsie Luckey (Deputy Chair)
Kathy Luckey	David Wongaway
Gary Mumu	Michael Bulla
	Jeffrey Mumu