People – older entries

Aimee Howard is Kimberley Girl for 2009

“Congrates to all my lovely ladies who where in the finals with me,” she said.

“We are all WINNERS!!!!!! love u loads! “

11 October 2009

More people. These entries all appeared on the People page before September 2009.

We just heard from Rohanna Angus – just back from London.

She has been performing at the Origins: Festival of First Nations with other artists from indigenous cultures in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

You will be able to see Rohanna in the film Stone Bros when it is released on 24 September.

We have just heard from James Fletcher of Broome, who many readers know as a regular caller to The Mary G Show.

He (James that is) tells us his mum, Halls Creek Community Health’s Wendy Fletcher, is Community Nurse and/or Midwife of the Year. For more information click here.

Kim Ferrie and DEC’s Bel Catcheside and Sharon Ferguson at last weekend’s community seagrass monitoring at Broome.

They went out with Bardi Jawi Rangers, Djarindjin Rangers, and community volunteers last Sunday and Monday (23-24 August).

Where they found things like this …

… and this…

and this.

We have heard the coffee and muffins are good too!

If you would like an invitation to participate in the next seagrass monitoring session email seagrassmonitoring@gmail.com or call the coordinator on 0422244145

Pete Davies, of wOtNoW Entertainment, will be manager and licensee of Broome’s Last Resort backpackers as of this Monday 31 August. He will continue to organise gigs from home.

Debbie Lee Barrington is acting East Kimberley regional manager with the Department of Indigenous Affairs, based in Kununurra.

She is taking a year off from her job down south with the Department of Housing and Works.

Many readers and tenants will remember her as property manager for Wyndham, Kununurra and Halls Creek.

At the East Kimberley Small Business Awards last Friday (21 August) Donald “Duck” Chulung accepted the Small Business Achiever Award and also the Indigenous Business Award for Wannawork. He is one of the partners in the enterprise, along with Jamie Elliott and Richard Beeck. He told the audience his goal was to encourage indigenous and non indigenous people to work together for the good of the whole community and was thrilled with receiving the Award.

Michael and Ros Hegarty took out the Franchise Award for their business, Auto One.

All winners  will have the opportunity to enter into the Kimberley Regional Small Business Awards in Broome on Friday Sept 18th

Sooty Pigram is back in Broome after the summer racing season in England.

He raced at the speedways in Berwick, Sheffield and Scunthorpe where he came first in two races.

Sooty is getting ready for the state titles later this year before heading over to South Australia to compete in the national titles.

He is keen to meet anyone interested to learn or have a ride in BROOME  – and he is also hoping to meet some big sponsors.  You can call Sooty on 0427 170 756.

Jodie Bedford, of Halls Creek school council, has hit upon a new way of recognising school kids who do good things in their community.

If YOU see or hear or know of a really good thing that a Halls Creek District High School student does for other people, away from the school, then you can nominate them for a COMMUNITY MERIT CERTIFICATE.

You can  contact the school on 08 9168 6082.

Finlay Yeeda, of Halls Creek,  is 12 today (Tuesday 25 August). Love from Mum, Scout , Taaj and Jaelan.

Josh Cocking supervised a number of Halls Creek kids to paint this years “Banners in the Terrace” entry.

See the story on the front page.

Celebrity chef Pete Evans will be heading to Faraway Bay resort to host a cookery school late next month. I hear it is freezing in Sydney right now!

Doctor Joseph Ogunleye recently celebrated his 40th birthday in Halls Creek.

Originally from Nigeria, Dr Joseph came to Australia about three years ago  to work at Yura Yungi Medical Centre.

Sacha Cox is organising the Wyndham East Kimberley Cup basketball carnival at Wyndham for 4 September.

She invites you to call her on for details on 0418920154 or email wynyc@thelastfrontier.com

Gina Williams celebrated her 40th birthday with an Sunday afternoon gig at Kulcha in Fremantle.

We just had a note from the Broome TAFE band Second Injectives, up late in Kununurra after a gig. They write:

“Ethan Broadbent is stoked to be on tour for the first time with his band Second Injectives. ‘Bongo‘ said it’s been great playing to such fantasic audiences, and building the band up with KTA and ‘Eagle eye’ Nic has been awesome! Everyone went off at our gigs so far..can’t wait for the rest of our tour.”

Every year Broome TAFE music students form a band and go on an annual tour.  So far they have played at Willare and Kununurra, and done the sound mixing for Yiyili TAFE band The Walkabout Boys at their graduation ceremony and community concert. They will finish up with Wyndham and Derby gigs.

We just had another message from the Black Pearl:

“Geoff, are you in Broome. Just got back from Beagle Bay and Lombardina (sp) after travelling to Doon Doon & Wyndham. Going to Brigadina (sp) tomorrow. I would like to thank you for the small piece! We have been having terrific success. Introducing the MADS! (Music,Art,Dance & Sports). Kids are participating well. I fly out to NY tomorrow evening. Cheers,  Cal”

Artist Claire Beausein is auctioning a piece of her original artwork to help increase access to musical instruments for Broome children. You can view the piece at the Cable Beach Club shop from this Friday 14 August. It will be auctioned at her art exhibition “Opera Arte” on Thursday 27 August.

We hear Kununurra Picture Gardens is negotiating to host an Australian mini film festival next month. Watch this space.

The Black Pearl, aka Cal Bruton, is launching what he describes as the first basketball school for primary school kids in Broome. He intends the program to spread to other Kimberley towns later down the track.  He will be in the Kimberley for just over a week, vising Kununurra for a couple of days. A naturalised Australian, Cal has been associated with seven NBL clubs.

Cori Fong has been busy packing her warmest clothes for a trip to Melbourne. Brrrrrrr!

We just had word that artist Tjampitjin, of Billiluna, passed away peacefully in his sleep about a month ago.

Out of respect for his family’s feelings we won’t be mentioning his name.

He was the traditional owner and lawman for the Sturt Creek floodplain (Milnga-Milnga), and one of the senior Warlayirti artists at Balgo.

In his younger days he worked as an expert stockman, and played an important liaison role between the station manager and bush Aborigines.

His paintings fetched high prices in Australia and overseas.

Tjampitjin had been living for some months at Halls Creek frail aged hostel with his brother Speiler Sturt and sister-in-law Nancy, after several years in squalid, cramped quarters at Billiluna.

He had a distinctive, highly-abstract painting style inspired by the waterholes and billabongs of his country.

Wilderness Society’s Kimberley Campaigner Josh Coates is putting on a talk called “Crunch time for the Kimberley” this Wednesday 5 August for the Kimberley Society. The Society meets on the first Wednesday of the month at the community centre in Onslow Road, Shenton Park, Perth. 7.15 for 7.30pm. Visitors welcome. $2 hospitality charge.

We just had a note from David Hyams.

“Looks like I will be in Pandanus Park from 10-21 Aug for the Awesome creative challenge…cya David.”

Sounds like fun.

Craig Jones was installed as Worshipful Master of the Roebuck masonic lodge at Broome on Saturday 1 August. The Grand Master of Western Austalia, Wayne Hibble, was at the event, as well as delegations from the other Kimberley lodges at Derby and Kununurra, and individual visitors from New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory. This will be the third time Mr Jones has been master of the lodge.

Gordon Marshall holds office in two masonic lodges. He is Immediate Past Master in Derby Lodge and Junior Deacon in the Roebuck Lodge. He is wearing the collar and jewells of both offices in this photograph.

Emily Rohr, of Short Street gallery in Broome, opened a new exhibition of art from the spinifex country of the Western Desert on Friday 31 July.

Roger McIvor is the new CEO at Yiyili community. He held the same job at Looma for 16 months.

The Walkabout Boys are back home at Yiyili with a studio recording of their reggae original “You’re the One.”

They have been in the NEXT BIG THING awards, making it through the regional heat in Broome and semi final in Fremantle to end up as one of the top six acts at the grand final in Perth.

“The trip gave them great exposure to new audiences and also opened the doorway for fantastic networking within the music industry,” said their lecturer/manager Bel Skinner.

“Now in preproduction for their debut CD, which will be released later this year, the Walkabout Boys are definitely on a roll.”

Daral Dahl is all round cowboy for this year’s Halls Creek Rodeo. He won first prize in the bull dogging and open breakaway roping, second prize for saddle bronc and his team won the wild cow milking.

Samantha Martin and Michael Butler will return to Wyndham at the end of this week. They are putting together a 13 part TV series as they travel – their vehicle is now a fully-equipped solar-powered editing suite.

Bruce Carey is taking up a job as production manager with Kimberley Steel in Kununurra. He says it is the first time he has worked for somebody else in 35 years.

We just had a note from Shelley Archer, who seems to be pretty busy since leaving politics this year. Shelley tells us she is:

“Providing advice to a range of  indigenous organizations who need help especially getting through the government red tape. Also providing advice on policy for companies on education and training for indigenous people in relation specifically to the plans for oil and gas also looking at how joint ventures between Unions, Companies and indig organizations can work together to provide employment, apprenticeship and training opportunities.”

Neil “Skull” Maslin tells us he is not sure exactly what he will be up to after he gives up the Wyndham Bakery next month, but he is sure it will include fishing and golf.

Grant Thomas White is still operating his security firm from Kununurra. He is president of the Kimberley Aotearoa Club and a member of the Lake Kununurra and Halls Creek golf clubs.

We just had a message from Doreen Green. She writes:

How you’re going?

I have just read the article on Robyn Long and Barry Haase.

Barry Haase said that he has spoken to me about the alcohol ban.

The last time I have spoken to Barry Haase is about two years ago, well before the State elections.

He is so out of touch with what is happening in Halls Creek. For instance I am no longer the co-chair of the Halls Creek Reference group.

I stepped down from that position in October 2008 due to work commitment.

- Doreen Green

Doreen goes on to tell us she has had to let her radio program “One Big Country” go for the time being.

Naming Doreen as co-chair was my fault, as a journalist you can never check your facts too much!

-Ed

Bjay John is assistant manager at the Hotel Kununurra.

Halls Creek weatherman Craig Butsch tells us he is looking forward to his next posting: Casey research station in Antarctica.

He leaves Halls Creek Met Office for three months’ training in Hobart this August, followed by a 12-month stint with the scientists and seals.

Craig is familiar to many radio listeners through his morning weather reports on the ABC, the PAKAM network and PRK breakfast programs.

Norm Lyon RN JP has left full-time duties at TAFE and returned to full-time nursing at Halls Creek District Hospital. In the meantime he is still Club Captain at the golf club, President of the RSL and a casual TAFE lecturer in first aid.

Rachell Obah, formerly of Billiluna BRACS and PRK radio Halls Creek, is now announcing for Larrgadi Radio 6DBY in Derby. She is seen here doing an outside broadcast at the Kimberley Moonrise Rock Festival with Chairperson Gordon Marshall.

Derby is keeping Miky Venn Brown busy lately. Besides running the local radio station she is playing in two bands (Brain Haemorrhage and Black-on-Blonde) and has just judged both the Boab Queen and Kimberley Art Prize.

Joel Smoker has published a book of his own landscape photographs taken over many years. It is called The Kimberley Series.

Tiny McCale and Maggie Scott had a book launch at Kimberley Language Resource Centre in Halls Creek on Monday 6 July.

Both ladies come from Inverway Station, in the Northern Territory near the WA border, and speak the same Wanyjirra language.

The book, called Nyawa ngali marnana Wanyjirra jaru (We speak Wanyjirra), is a wordbook with language names for plants, animals, family and the environment.

David Darada, of Billiluna, left Halls Creek a few weeks ago and has been spending time in Derby.

“I never knew I had so many families in Derby,” he told us.

“They have been very generous to me, my mother’s side of the family.”

Mark Norval won the Kimberley Art Prize at Derby on 4 July 2009.

Katie Carter and Diana Kevan were JOINT Boab Queens this year.

They have been raising money for Derby District High School and the Holy Rosary School.

The crowning took place on Friday 3 July at Derby Town Oval, along with the Boab Festival mardi gras and Kimberley Moonrise rock festival.

It was a great family occasion and organisers reported a record crowd.

James Fitzpatrick took out first and second prize at the 12th Annual Derby Bush Poets’ Breakfast on Sunday 28 June, with the bronze medal going to Ed Mahon. James is a doctor and Ed works in security at Broome airport.

More than 200 locals and visitors turned out to hear a dozen poets from all over Australia.

Sacha Cox tells us she is working on taking a group of 10 men & 10 women to Cairns QLD from Wyndham to attend the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Basketball Championships.

“At this stage i think that we will be the only Kimberley team over there,” she says.

“It’s on the 20th Sept – 25th Sept 2009 and it’s only for indigenous people to compete.”

Ira Lans is activities coordinator at Numbala Nunga frail aged hostel in Derby.

Ningali Lawford-Wolf tells us her son Jaden Mellick is quarantined with most his team mates from Australia’s under-21 Lacrosse team. They are in South Korea to compete in the Asia Pacific Lacrosse Tournament.

You can read more about Korea’s swine-flu precautions and their impact on our team by clicking on this link to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Mark Sewell produces the Halls Creek Better Life Project newsletter (in his spare time) as “iso services”, a contractor to the Department of Housing.

We just had a note from Trent Ozies. He tells us he and his classmates have just returned from a year 12 retreat where they met homeless people in Perth. As part of the experience Trent had to prepare a lunch for four dollars.

” I really just want people to see how lucky us aboriginals and kimberly mob are,” he said.

Sacha Cox is shire youth officer in Wyndham.

Jub Clerc has just started a business called 2 Deadly Casting and Artist Agency.

We just had a note from Taz.

She asked Kimberley Page to let you know she changed jobs for health reasons.

“The reason why I’m cleaning at the airport,  is I don’t want to take high blood pressure medication,” she said.

“And I know active work will reduce it.”

She is hoping this might inspire others to take up a more active lifestyle.

Many thanks for your note Taz.

Pete Davies has started his own music promotions business, wOtNoW entertainment. He is organising a big outdoor concert at Cable Beach in August.

Colin Pigram, the Pigram Brother who lives in Derby, is working on a new CD with his own group ABANDON. During the daytime he works at his auto electrical business behind the Shell garage.

Kerry Wray, previously of Koolan Island, is working in Landuse Planning, for water resources, in Geraldton. She says she catches up with Kimberley crew often but would much rather be ‘nowhere else but here’.

Michael Sheridan is now the caretaker at Halls Creek District High School. He is living in a caravan on the school grounds.

Lillian Chestnut is Aboriginal Reference Group Officer with the Fitzroy Catchment Action Management Project.

Halls Creek District High School deputy principal Gavin Stevens is the school’s acting principal. Former principal David Faulkner is now a school superintendant in the Northern Territory.

Janine Gordon has moved back to North Queensland, where she is studying for a BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice through Griffth University via distance education.

If you have trouble hearing The Mary G Show on your local radio station you can stream it live between 7.00 – 10.00PM Wednesdays by clicking here.

If you would like to be featured on this page – or if there is a friend of yours you would like us to recognise – contact vivian@kimberleypage.com.au or join our facebook group.