Walkajurra Walkabout – Walking for Country will be lead by the Walkatjurra Rangers, in partnership with Footprints for Peace, Western Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (WANFA), the Anti Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) and the Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA).

WALKATJURRA RANGERS

The Ranger group provide opportunities for community members to undertake cultural maintenance activities, for youth to learn and for elders to promote their culture to others and develop opportunities for training and livelihoods based on cultural enterprises. Ranger group activities also provide inspiration in the community for cultural expressions in the art project by allowing access to country and traditional lands.

The objectives of the Walkatjurra Ranger Program are to:

• Increase the ability of Aboriginal people in the Region to interact with and manage their heritage and environmental assets
• Develop leadership in Aboriginal people, through increased informed decision making in heritage and environmental asset management
• Provide meaningful livelihood opportunities for Aboriginal people through cultural activities on country
• Generate partnerships between local communities and resource industry, Government, and professional organizations
• Contribute to the development of a new paradigm in heritage management for the Region
• Lift the profile of Aboriginal people within the Region through strategic training and employment opportunities

Participation in the Ranger Program is ‘whole of community’; any interested member of the local Aboriginal community is encouraged to participate in the Programs activities. There is no screening of participants, and the only pre-requisites are a desire to manage heritage and environmental assets, proactive group participation, capacity development and shared collective vision for community development.

WANFA was formed out of the Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) meeting in September 2009 on Nukunu country, Quorn, South Australia. Formed in 1997, ANFA (formerly the Alliance Against Uranium) has been bringing together Aboriginal people, relevant NGO’s and health professionals concerned about existing or proposed nuclear developments in Australia, particularly on Aboriginal homelands. The Alliance played an important role in initiating and building the successful campaigns to stop the Jabiluka uranium mine and a national nuclear dump proposed for South Australia.

Footprints for Peace is a grassroots organization based in the United States and Australia. Over the last two decades the group have organised annual walks, runs and bike rides covering over 20,000 miles around the world.    The purpose is to educate, inspire and empower individuals and communities to build a sustainable future. During these events thousands of people have been brought together onto the streets to create positive change through peaceful action.   In 2011 Footprints for Peace organised a 10 week walk from Wiluna to Perth, covering over 1250km.  It was a “Walk away from Uranium Mining” and was in solidarity with Aboriginal people to push for a ban on uranium mining in Western Australia.  The ‘Walkatjurra Walkabout’ builds on the relationships created through this walk.

The Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) came into being in 1997 (then known as the Anti-Uranium Coalition, AUCWA), to act as an umbrella group for organisations campaigning against the nuclearisation of Australia. Their role is mainly in research, political lobbying and publication of information that they believe the community needs in order to make informed decisions about uranium mining, nuclear power, weapons and waste.

The Conservation Council of Western Australia (CCWA) is the State’s foremost non-profit, non-government conservation organisation. They are WA’s peak environment and sustainability group with over 100 member groups and have been an outspoken advocate for conservation and a sustainable WA for over 40 years.  Their vision is to have communities living sustainably in our unique WA environment, and their mission is to increase community awareness on conservation, and encourage action for conservation throughout Western Australia.