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| unique partnership in remote kimberley
| capacity building a remote aboriginal community

Over the past twelve months, Environmental Technology Centre (ETC) project officer Josh Byrne has been assisting community members from Glenn Hill Station at Mandangala Community in the East Kimberley to set up a nursery facility to raise seedlings for community landscaping projects and for rehabilitation research work at Argyle Diamond Mine (ADM).

A group from the community visited the ETC on a series of training program during 2003 thanks to the support of ADM. The group were so inspired with what they learnt that they decided to build their own nursery, as well set up a worm farm to process food waste from the mine site into valuable fertiliser. A number of other projects such as a community orchard and poultry system, a shared outdoor cooking facility and various community landscaping projects are also on the drawing board.

A committed work team have been involved throughout the entire design and construction process of the nursery and worm farm. The most recent achievement of the group was installing an automated irrigation system to ensure that the water needs of the nursery plants are met in the tough Kimberly conditions (see pictures right). Now the guys are turning their hands to the more gentle art of raising plants from locally collected seed with the first batch of seedlings being ready to be planted around the community and at the mine site this wet season.

Josh is able to visit the community every couple of months to provide planning and technical assistance for the project thanks to the ongoing support of Argyle Diamond Mine.

| more info:

» learn more about Josh Bryne
» visit the Argyle Diamond Mine website