‘Walkatjurra Walkabout – Walking for Country’

is a celebration of Wangkatja country, a testament to the strength of the community who have fought to stop uranium mining at Yeelirrie for over forty years, and a chance to come together to continue share our commitment to a sustainable future without nuclear. It is a chance to reconnect with the land, and to revive the tradition of walking for country.

Greetings everyone

The walk is all set for August and you can print out flyers here: https://walkingforcountry.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/walkatjurra-walkabout-2015.pdf

Please REGISTER HERE
This will give us a better idea of how many are coming!! (We will need to cap the walk at about 60 people because of water issues…
I will send a more detailed email to those who have registered already in the coming days..
Sorry for the delay in info as I have been in the USA on another walk!!

See below for some more info on changes to the walk this year…

Walkatjurra Walkabout 2015
August 16th – September 19th, 2015

Back to our roots: This year is our 5th walking year and a time to reflect back on the roots and fundamentals of why we started the Walkatjurra Walkabout.
The threat of uranium mines opening up is ever present in this region, the Barnett government is determined to have a project underway before we vote him out. Now is the time to be vigilant and a time to meet the people, see the places and be part of the country that is threatened by this devastating and needless industry.

2015 is the year we go back to roots and focus on the fundamentals of why we are walking. Walking away from uranium mining and towards aboriginal sovereignty.

We will be in Wiluna for the first time since 2011, taking us again past the gates of Toro Energy’s, Lake way proposal, and on to Yeelirrie, the deposit held by Cameco whose kyntire project in the Pilbara has just gained conditional approval.

We have learned a lot over the years about moving through country as a community.
In such remote and at times harsh environment we are all reliant on each other. People’s health and safety are vital. Paramount responsibility is the health and safety of people whilst they are on country. We are walking through a remote desert area with little access to water, hence its difficult to keep illness out of camp. Outbreaks of giardia have happened, even with the best and state of the art built hygiene systems.

In particular its important to keep infants, young children and the elderly safe
For this reason we feel the need to have parents with children under 5, and those who might be susceptible to illness or with compromised immune systems to contact us before registering for the walk.

Please be honest with us about your own physical and mental health in order we keep all safe.
It is a very difficult schedule with packing up each day and walking 20kms – 25kms each day while also helping out with camp setup and cooking.
To talk about these logistics and the possibility of coming with your children please call Lucy on 0405 456 863

DOGS
Given the unfortunate death of Ginny, our beautiful dog friend from eating 1080 bait, we are not allowing people to bring their dogs on the walk this year.
It was a traumatic episode for all those involved and terrible way to watch an animal die and given the random nature of how these baits are dropped by air, we can’t guarantee the safety of animals.

In order to gain the experience of country, its important people walk.
That is the purpose of Walkatjurra Walkabout, to create community and connection to country by walking through landscape together. It adds a significant cost in fuel to ferry people back and forward between camp and walkers. The camps are there to facilitate the walking, not vice versa. We will be walking approx 20 kms a day (some days more, up to 28kms, and some days less) and averaging 5 walking days with the 6th a rest day.

As past walkers can attest, camp set up, cooking, firewood collecting and cleaning can be very labour intensive on top of a days walk, therefore we need all hands deck and the ratio of those able to contribute in this way must be higher than those not. Otherwise exhaustion, fatigue and illness sets in.

The Walkatjurra Walkabout is a moving community, all able bodied people are expected to be a part of the functioning of camp. People must be contributing within their capabilities, each person counts while in the remoter parts of Australia.

This is not to exclude anyone, but to bring the realities of desert life to the forefront.

As organisers we have a duty of care to keep the good health and safety of the camp while giving everyone the opportunity to be able to walk and have a good experience while walking through this amazing Country for a Nuclear free Future.

For more information email walk4country@gmail.com

We hope to see many of you out on the walk this year and look forward to sharing 4 weeks out on Country.

 

Yellowcake Country Exhibition
14th – 31st August 2015 @ Moores Gallery 46 Henry St Fremantle

Invitation to artists
On the 14th of August before the bus leaves for the walk,the West Australian Nuclear Free Alliance will be opening the Yellowcake country exhibition. We’re throwing open an invitation to artists to donate a piece – which will be on exhibition at the Moore Building for two weeks and auctioned off as a fundraiser for WANFA.

WANFA is an Aboriginal Led alliance that does work in communities – and desperately needs fund to keep getting people out on country to support communities facing the threat of uranium mining.
To register: www.wanfa.org.au/art e-mail wanfa.org.au@gmail.com phone (08) 9420 7291
.

If you have any questions then please feel free to call or email..

Marcus Atkinson: 0400 505 765 email: walk4country@gmail.com

Peace & Solidarity
Walkatjurra Walkabout Crew