A Wonderful Opportunity to Host Year 3/4 Students

Bana Yarralji would seem to be moving faster and faster towards forming itself into a particular kind of business ie a cultural enterprise - but, one might ask, how is it really possible for two cultural entreprenuers (no matter how determined) to estalblish a cultural enterprise of this kind and seek to launch this enterprise in the way being recorded in this blog??

Very little would have been SO possible and everything would have been moving much more slowly: all prospect of a cultural enterprise even being formed would be much much more difficult ...  if it weren't for the existence of  a Commowealth Aboriginal employment program (ie 'Working on Country')  matching the existence of a tight knit group of long termed unemployed people from Wujal Wujal and Cooktown who'd been trained in Conservation and Land Management (CALM) and were ready plus prepared to work on country, caring for that country (ie the Bana Yarralji rangers).

It was a spectacular thing when Marilyn and Peter Wallace, with their vision, happened upon the Commonwealth's 'Working on Country' program (back in 2009)  specifically aimed at:

i.  picking up unemployed Aboriginal peoples from places like Wujal Wujal and Cooktown  ... and

ii. see such unemployed people working full time establishing a self-sustaining natural and cultural resource management service on country.

Most recently, within the last couple of weeks, Marilyn and Peter Wallace were expected to be in one place (ie in Cairns helping celebrate and recall 20 years of Cape York regional organisations working to improve the position of Aboriginal peoples in Cape York); while the Bana Yarralji enterprise was needed in another place  (ie back 'home' taking up opportunity to host 70 year 3/4 students from Cooktown - promoting Nyungkal lore in Nyungkal country)

On Tuesday August 23 2011, then, as part of the Bana Yarralji Working on Country project fulfilling Bana Yarralji Working on Country contracted outcomes:

i.   Marilyn and Peter Wallace revisted and reignited long established relationships at 'Kicking the Dust' celebrations in Cairns,

ii.  Bana Yarralji Working on Country rangers, at the same time, took up Bana Yarralji's wonderful hosting opportunity - warming (smoking) approx 70 year 3/4 students from Cooktown on Nyungkalwarra country & - introducing 70 year 3/4 students to Nyungkalwarra lore on Nyungkalwarra country.

Marilyn and Peter Wallace succeeded in re-establishing some potentially important connections with some senior Aboriginal politicians, and some senior Eastern Yalanji elders - in their wish to lay more secure foundations for their cultural enterprise, in pursuit of a vision of seeing Nyungkal people more permanently living and making a living on country.

The coordinator of South Cape York Catchments (Jason Carroll) who co-hosted the whole school excursion into the bioculturally rich rainforests reported Bana Yarralji Working on Country rangers (Ruby Winkle and Horace Friday) did a great job and the whole exercise involving so many young students on country at once  "went very well indeed".

Being Good Hosts Can Be Very Demanding!!

It seems Bana Yarralji's key cultural entreprenuers, Marilyn & Peter Wallace, have been building relationships, welcoming people into their lives, and working towards their vision for their whole lives!!  

If anyone asks when they first started working towards their vision, it goes back, back before the decision to set up on country; back before the early Balkanu Cape York Development efforts in the early 2000's to assist people move on to country; back before Peter Wallace was chairperson of Wujal Wujal Council; back before Marilyn's Mum so contantly urged them back 'home'.

The vision, it seems, has been growing for a long, long time, with a lot of life energy being expended building relationships, building partnerships, inviting people into their lives, constantly hosting people en route to becoming what they are now striving to be ie good Aboriginal hosts on country, using 'hosting' as a means to achieve a vision.

Most admirably, though, in a life full of extended family, poverty, racism, chronic health problems, and serious wellbeing issues and stresss .. it is a tribute to the strength of these entrepreneurs faith, that they continue to be able to constantly smile, give warm welcome, and generally host whole range of peoples at whole range of times, at whole range of hours.

It is most admirable Bana Yarralji's key entrepreneurs continue to be committed and able to be good Aboriginal hosts providing genuine experience of Aboriginal lore, generously sharing knowledge and recruiting people to their vision.   It is admirable and, as a business, it is a risk!!

To seek to build an enterprise and a build a future around being good hosts is hard work.  It is hard, demanding work, and at this stage, now, of the journey into forming a cultural entreprise (against the odds?)  ..  Marilyn and Peter Wallace may be feeling some of the accumulating stresses and strains of constantly striving to be good on country hosts.

Over the last couple of weeks, recognizing the increasing risk, Bana Yarralji has started looking around (with some positive sounding prospects) to secure some very purpose designed 'cultural hosting' training and experience up on country early in the new calander year - enabling whole range of other Nyungkal family members to also practice and trial hosting, catering, providing cultural experience .. and help pick up some of the load, towards a clear, positive, shared vision for the future!!