Community at Canteen Creek is stronger than ever

1998 has seen a lot of changes at Canteen Creek
Council Chairman Adrian Mick gives us a brief outline

Our Council was set up on the 9th of February and .in that time we have changed everything around this community. It was the community who decided to have us as their Council, the community voted. The Council has given the people direction and has made them feel more responsible for their community.
We've got the training going and now the community is really good again and everything is back on its feet. The ladies have the Women's Centre which is going well and that will lead to training opportunities.
We've got the road and maintenance training which is also going well and there's building training also happening and there'll be mechanic training which will be starting soon as well as other training that we'll get into this community.
Whatever things are happening in this community, we decide what we are going to do about it. We have a community meeting every week so we can sort out any problems. We are confident now that we are a stronger community than before when we didn't know where we were going. We didn't think we'd make it to where we are now, but we feel really confident and strong about this community and about ourselves.
The people in this community respect the Council and if there are any problems we'll have a meeting and sort it all out. The training is good for the community and for the younger blokes around the community, they learn more skills and they feel more strong in what they do with the training. They enjoy what they do and it keeps them out of trouble when they go into town.
We've seen a lot of difference since the training has begun because before they didn't really worry about anything, it has given them a goal and something to hang onto and learn more about. Now that they've got the training, they don't leave the community as much, they're here all the time and it's good because they enjoy it.
The trainees built the church out of old tin houses that we had, it's not really finished yet, there's just a few more bits to go and it will be good. Everybody comes to the church and it's really coming alive again, it's a happy community and everybody enjoys what they do.

Improving
community skills

Geoff Baillie, CDEP coordinator and
Anne-Marie Baulman, office secretary
Anne-Marie tells the story

Canteen Creek is about 300 k's south-east of Tennant Creek. There are probably about 200 people here now. The name Owairtilla comes from a waterhole 2 or 3 k's from Canteen Creek and that is the main waterhole for around here. When we came in March this year there might have been only about 80 people here and now we've got 66 on CDEP.
Our boss is the Council. A new council was elected in February and together
with the Council, Geoff negotiates for the community's needs. If they
say they want training for example then we try and work out what will
be the best sort of training for them.
When we got here there was really only one vehicle that was working
and the bobcat and the backhoe were the only machinery working. Now
we've got training programs and all that machinery is working hard.
We're building that up. We just got a new second hand truck and bulldozer.
The bobcat, grader and a lot of other stuff have been repaired for training
to develop this community.
The Women's centre has finally come on line. They've been wanting that
for a long time - some years. We're also getting a Homemaking course
happening over there and the women are doing painting as well.
Some future plans are that the earth works trainees will be getting
a new workshop compound set up. They've already done some road grading
and we're all hoping that they'll be able to get their tickets and get
further earth works contracts. The trainees have worked on the new dump
and there is going to be fencing involved in the new workshop. Operating
machinery is also part of the training, so it's a range of skills that
they're building up.
The aim is to build up people's skills so that they'll be able to develop
and look after their own business. That's the plan.
There's an office trainee too - she's going great guns and hopefully
at the end of her training, she'll get my job.
We've also got bowsers at the store now too, which the trainees did
work on.
There's probably 27 houses in Canteen Creek and the Building Repair
and Maintenance trainee labour will be involved in this year's renovations
of the tin sheds. Those blokes will be working on that while being supervised
by licensed people.
There are 55 kids enrolled at the school now and more people are coming
back here because this place has a strong Council and this is a really
good place to be. It's a strict, dry community. A lot of people who
had lived here and moved away are coming back.
These people have got a sense of pride. It's clean and it's a happy
place and if everything keeps going on track like it is, it just makes
our job so much easier. We're not responsible for any of the decisions
that are made. Whatever happens here, it's the Council's responsibility.
We sit and talk about things and guide them in the right direction.
Geoff's job is to basically give guidance and to inform the Council
and then they will make decisions which they feel are best for the community.
I mean, we're all green at this - they're new and we're new. I think
that's one of the reasons why this is working because we are all learning
together. We haven't come in and said this is what you've got to do,
because we haven't known. We feel that we are growing together and that's
why it's working.
The people here realise that a lot of contractors come in here and some
of them do a good job but they take all the money away from the community.
Then you've got other contractors coming here just ripping everyone
off. The work and training that's happening here at the moment is all
about actually building the place and the trainees up first and then
it will go into other work like orchards and art.
Sustained jobs are in building - it's always on-going. Maintenance is
always ongoing too. With the earthworks, that can be on-going because
there can be contracts all over the place. At the moment we are tendering
to Epenarra, Transport and Works and OLG because they give us funds
to do work here.
There are eight trainees on the Building team now and there are eight
on the Roadworks. Eighteen women have signed up for the Homemakers course.
There is one office trainee and there are two in the store who will
be able to run that store completely in no time at all.
The Homemakers course is centred around hygiene and nutrition and it's
really what the women want. They're women's programs basically.
But for example, a lot of these houses were equipped with gas stoves
and these people by and large won't use gas stoves. Whether they've
witnessed an accident or not, I don't know, but they're frightened of
gas - to them it's dangerous. So we've got to replace those stoves and
have electric stoves put in. A lot of people will sit outside and cook
their dinner instead of using a gas stove.
So now there's a huge electric stove over at the Women's Centre plus
an outdoor BBQ and a drum oven. With the Homemakers course, the women
want to be able to produce a staple meal a day, Monday to Friday, for
the community. So whoever wants to eat from the Women's Centre will
make a contribution and the women will cook a big lot of food there
and everyone in the community who has paid their money will get a meal
a day from there.
Homemakers will tie in with that in teaching the women how to prepare
good food hygienically. You don't have to spend a lot of money to eat
well. Once the Women's Centre is set up, they want to have a Child Care
Centre along side.
Homemakers will also be able to build up some skills with their art
and sewing - whatever their interests are - but they're all women's
programs.
Another area there is a great need for here is literacy and numeracy
and adults here realise and appreciate that. Some of the Council are
literate, some are not. I was going to give adult classes at one stage
but that is now going to happen in conjunction with the Homemakers which
will be in the New Year and I'll be doing support tutorials for that.

Language knowledge is power towards being able to look after your books
and your business and everything and the Council appreciates that. If
you've got people that know what their needs are and they want to learn,
it's just a matter of getting it in place to happen. But that's a big
thing and they've got to look at those other basic skills before that.
I mean the dream's there. They've got a vision for this place and once
they get all those basic skills in place then there's no reason why
Canteen Creek can't be financially independent. It might even be a tourist
destination one day!
There's no big trouble or violence here. The only time the police have
come in is to renew driving licences. The Council is very strong. Nobody
brings alcohol here or comes back drunk or anything. Grog is often the
fuel for other problems, but it's quite strict here and there's not
one law here for white fellas and one for black, it's just straight
- no grog.
We've also got the church here and a band plays at services and Kenny
(the pastor) gives a sermon. That's only all come together in the last
six months. They've bought all the band equipment from a community savings
account, with contributions from personal wages. They've also painted
the church. The church was built from recycled stuff just laying around
the place and the only thing that we bought was the paint. We've just
had it wired for lights, sound and fans.
Even though there is a lot of accountability here, there's a fair bit
of independence too. You have to be really flexible and that's good.
We both are and we like that. I suppose one of the big things is that
we've only been here for about eight months but we can see the difference
and we can see what's happening. It's not solely because of us, although
we like to think we've made a contribution, but if it wasn't for the
community and Council and the decisions they make and the strength that
they show, it wouldn't matter how good hearted and how many good ideas
we had, it wouldn't make any difference at all - it woul