Janet and Dani off to Darwin

Meanwhile back in Alice we’ve been doing some consultation about the possibility of taking Ngapartji Ngapartji to Abbott’s camp once a week to offer activities to residents. The community is excited about this happening in the recently opened community centre and we’re hoping to start as soon as next week. This way Sadie, Julie and Belinda get to share what they’ve learnt with families who can’t always get down here for one reason or another.

It’s been great to have Beth on board to dream up new directions for creative activities happening at Ngapartji Ngapartji office. This week she has been working with Julie, Wirika and Janelle to create a collage using photographs and words, in a move towards making small magazines or newsletters about local people and events. This work has also transformed the walls of the learning and arts area at the office which are filling fast with young people’s artworks.

Belinda has now mastered the use of email and is communicating regularly with Batesy as she travels the world. Belinda has also been sharing her story-making and photography skills with young people from Hidden Valley town camp who have begun work on another digital story called ‘Jealous Mob'.

Beth assists Belinda set up a shot for 'Jealous Mob' (Reece Swan in foreground)

On the film front Hollie’s finished translating the films we made in Pipalyatjara which Dave’s now subtitling. So soon we will have the bilingual version of the Pipalyatjara DVD ready for distribution! On that note CAAMA are acquiring a number of our previous short films and video hits for their two new youth programs, 'Grounded' and 'Kids Rool' which will air on NITV. So look out for these.

Unfortunately our trip to Ernabella was cancelled as both a funeral and other business would have meant a lot of the initial meetings we planned to have about the production in September were unable to go ahead. Scott Rankin and Trevor Jamieson came on Wednesday regardless and we welcomed them with a picnic at Olive Pink with Julie, Elton, Dorris and Debra and other family members from Abbott’s camp. With Janet still in town as well as Pantjiti Lewis from Pukatja, we shared a warm evening around the fire out at Alex’s, joined by Pantjiti and Simon McKenzie and Tom Holder. Inevitably the Ngapartji Ngapartji songs started up again, with Beth pulling out the guitar, which seemed a fitting launch for the NT tour.

Having Scott and Trevor here has meant we’ve been able to have a series of team meetings about the project in terms of how we’re all traveling with our various business as well as the reflect on the design of the project overall. It’s Friday afternoon and we’re almost all talked out but its been an invigorating few days with this injection of thinking into our practice.

Dani Powell, Community Producer