Kowanyama is a small, very remote town in the Gulf Country in QLD and it ranks as one of Australia’s most socially and economically disadvantaged communities.  

Sadly, the community has experienced a disproportionate amount of sorrow and trauma in recent years, yet it has limited places for families and community groups to safely meet and hold traditional gatherings, eat together or hold community events.

But that’s changed thanks in part to a $10,000 Strengthening Rural Communities grant. A new communal fire pit, picnic table and shelter against harsh weather conditions have been built. The people of Kowanyama now have a place to socialise and connect, which is a critical part of fostering wellbeing and strengthening the community.

This project was led by Out There Kowanyama (OTK), a dynamic, volunteer-run organisation that works to create hope and opportunity in the remote community by empowering youth with various projects and activities. OTK has a strong understanding of the community’s needs, and this project was an expansion of the community park and picnic area they had previously developed.

Although the pandemic caused a delay in completing this project, the new amenities were successfully installed by 2021 and the community reaction has been wonderful.

OTK Treasurer, Lara Wieland, shared the following with us:

“This is a place we could come and relax and get away from things when we’re stressed.”

“This could be a neutral place for mediations.”

“Counsellors could use this to catch up with people who don’t want a home or clinic visit.”

“We will hold our next women’s group here.”

“What a great place to come and hold an event. I especially like the firepit.”

“People can gather here in the shade after funerals or christenings and the old people will have somewhere shady to sit.”

Girls from Oz (g-oz) is committed to improving education and employment outcomes for students in remote Australia, particularly Aboriginal girls and women. The g-oz program uses a tried and tested engagement model, developed over 30 years by the Australian School of Performing Arts, to engage and re-engage females living in some of the most at-risk communities in Australia.

Since 2010, more than 200 girls have participated in 14 trips to five capital cities for a week of shared cultural exchange and 105 instructors have assisted in running 126 week-long Community Programs, engaging more than 4,000 girls across five communities.

In 2022, FRRR contributed $9,212 via a Strengthening Rural Communities grant funded by Friends of FRRR and FRRR towards the g-oz ‘Helping to keep language alive in Kowanyama’ project. The aim of the project is to contribute to Kowanyama State School’s efforts to reintroduce the traditional languages of Kowanyama. To complement the initiative, g-oz has begun its support of language preservation and revitalisation via the completion of song translation and transcription.

Over the past four months, g-oz has been meeting and working with local female Elders each school term as part of their Community Program visits. Their instructors have had some great conversations and have identified a song that they can work together with the women to transcribe, record and teach in the traditional language.

g-oz has found that building trusted relationships and working in collaboration with the local women can be a slow process. As their goal is to support the ambitions of the women in the delivery of their language revitalisation project, and especially their work with school students at Kowanyama State School, g-oz plans to walk alongside them, working within the Elders’ timeframe to deliver the project.

g-oz plans to develop teaching resources as part of the recording process and to present the finished songs to the community in May, with monitoring and evaluation to be undertaken before the conclusion of the project in August 2023.