MacDonnell Regional Council Staff Newsletter April 2020 v ...€¦ · sure everyone washed their hands when they arrived each morning, as well as other times like ... 1.5 metres from

COVID-19 EDITIONKIDS FROM DOCKER RIVER SAY:

“FLY LIKE PINTA-PINTA”AND FLOW WITH IT Full story – page 3

MacDonnell Regional Council Staff Newsletter April 2020 volume 12 issue 2 page 1

WASH YOUR HANDS

TO PROTECT EVERYONE

BELOW: Michelle from Haasts Bluff washing her hands

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

Jeff MacLeod,

Chief Executive Officer, MacDonnell Regional Council

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

I know everyone has been frustrated with the changes we have had to make to

protect ourselves and our communities. But we cannot let our guard down, please

continue to listen to the advice coming out from official sources and continue to

take care of your families and your communities.


Firstly, thank you to all staff for being so patient and understanding in these

unprecedented times. All staff have had to be adaptable and flexible to keep the

MacDonnell Regional Council area safe.

LEFT: CEO Jeff MacLeod gives the thumbs

up to the President Roxanne Kenny and the

other Councilors in a video conference.

My belief that we will support each other through this, the most

testing of times, has been confirmed. I see these photos and

hear the stories of how people have adapted and innovated

and I know we will come out on the other side of this stronger.

Roxanne Kenny

President, MacDonnell Regional Council

I am proud that we have been able to keep delivering essential

services, while being able to comply with all of the directives issued

in this constantly evolving situation.

As we begin to see the easing of restrictions, we must not become

complacent. Please maintain preventative measures such as hand

washing and physical distancing.

As I have already observed, I know you will all continue to support

each other.


Becoming a ‘Pinta-Pinta’,

Pitjantjatjara for Butterfly!

The kids at the Docker River Early Childhood

Learning Centre have been exploring

caterpillars and are so excited to know they can

change to butterflies. Most of them can’t stop

flying like butterflies since they got their

beautiful wings. They recommend everyone not

to get so worked up during this challenging

time but to display their beautiful wings

and…fly like Pinta-Pinta!

(Pitjantjatjara for Butterfly!)

ABOVE: Casey Burke and Harold Bronson flutter away!

LEFT: Casey Burke shows off his wings.

BELOW: Glennys Horson, ready to fly


Life skills for our kids

helps to protect everyone

As early childhood practitioners, MacKids Educators have always done an awesome job of

role-modelling healthy life skills. This is a really important part of the work MacKids do:

encouraging families to support their little kids in practising health routines for life. These

include eating healthy meals, having good regular sleep, bathing and changing into clean

clothes every day.

So when the health messages about COVID-19 were received by MacKids, everyone had

already been pretty good at practising handwashing, everyday. But MacKids staff made extra

sure everyone washed their hands when they arrived each morning, as well as other times like

before eating, or after using the toilet. It’s been a good way for Team Leaders and Educators to

meet every family at the door in the mornings and remind them about this extra rule. MacKids

also want to sure that the little kids are well enough to come into the Early Childhood Learning

Centres (ECLC), so if the little ones are a bit sick, we ask that parents check with the clinic first.

MacKids knows that families are worried about this new virus. Everyone is being asked to

follow the information from the health authorities and Australian and Northern Territory

Governments so that we can protect our old people and the little kids from it, so everyone

please wash your hands when you enter our centres and keep 1.5m from people that do not

live with you.

ABOVE: (left to right) Charmaine and her son Estefan, Mary and Rosita with her mum Seranna at MacKids Areyonga


Life skills for our kids helps

to protect everyone

Families have been giving the MacKids teams some help with extra cleaning: making sure important areas

are wiped down a few times throughout the day. Family members have shown amazing community spirit to

help clean areas such as the kitchen, tables, bathrooms, door handles and rails.

Our local Educators have supported community to follow the new guidelines. Physical distancing, or staying

1.5 metres from people other than your immediate family is a new idea and it’s been hard to understand in

communities when most of community is your family. In programs where everyone eats together on our big

circle mats or at the tables, kids and their immediate family sit in clusters and rather than sharing plates,

everyone has their own food bowl.

MacKids have always encouraged outdoor play even in the hot times, when the mornings are cooler. Now

it’s cooling down a bit, everyone is much better off outside for most of the time the centres are open.

At every MacKids Early Learning Centre in community, MacKids staff are doing the best they can to keep

families safe and educated about the virus.

“Hey families, keep bringing your little kids in for bath and nappy,

good healthy tucker, good learning and lots of fun.

When the COVID-19 situation has passed, MacKids will still be here,

making sure our Early Childhood Learning Centres are

good healthy places for little kids to grow up in”MacKids

ABOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: William enjoying a meal physically distant from his friend in Docker River,

Harold doing the same at Docker River,

Docker River childcare workers Jezebel Hopkins and Donna Ferguson reading resources and materials so that they can educate

the kids about COVID-19 .

Washing to ‘Stop the Spread’

ABOVE: 3 month old Jeremiah, in Docker River, loving bath time!

ABOVE LEFT: Casey Burke washing his hands and checking out his cool hair in Docker River ECLC

ABOVE RIGHT: Harold shows off his clean hands at Docker River ECLC

BELOW: Time for Seranna to give Rosita her daily wash at ECLC in Areyonga



ABOVE: Jeremiah loving bath time at the Areyonga ECLC

“The kids were surprised, thankful and happy that we were doing

this in such a difficult time at the moment

where there is not much activities happening” Nicky Hayes

MacYouth Youth Service Officer

Santa Teresa


MacYouth adapts program to outreach Snacks, activity and wellbeing packs for community

From Nicky Hayes, MacYouth Youth Service Officer, Santa Teresa:

The reason why we were doing the breakfast drop off with powdered milk and Weetbix is

because MacYouth chose to do an outreach service to houses around Santa Teresa.

Our main goal is to do as much outreach and delivery of activity packs as possible. The reason

why this is our goal is to keep our activities as engaging as possible during the restrictions. It

gives the kids something to do because right now the Rec Hall is closed and it is school

holidays this week and normally we have lots of activities happening at the Rec Hall.

Lastly, as well, it gives our team a humbling, good feeling to do something for the kids and

community during this time.

LEFT: MacSafe Coordinator Community

Safety & Remote Sports Program

Yarran Cavalier prepares activity packs

RIGHT: Activity pack contents, FUN!

ABOVE: Nicky Hayes delivering a pack to Ashley in Santa Teresa


ABOVE:

Amoonguna youth worker Winky

with activity packs ready!

RIGHT: Jayde was happy to

receive activity and food pack

delivery in Santa Teresa

BELOW: Woody receives a pack

in Santa Teresa

LEFT: Nicholas Williams prepares breakfast packs in Hermannsburg.

ABOVE: Reggie Lankin delivers breakfast packs in Hermannsburg.


Messages from Areyonga:

Wash your hands and stay safe

ABOVE LEFT: Trishell Kitson with her awesome poster, see next page for more details.

ABOVE RIGHT: Monica Kitson with another great and informative poster, on the next page too.

BELOW: (left to right) Trishell Kitson, Nelly Djana, Reandra Dixon and Monica Kitson


Messages from Areyonga

ABOVE: Monica Kitson’s educational creation

BELOW: Trishell Kitson’s step by step ’Stop the Spread!


Innovations at the MRC offices

ABOVE: The handwashing

stations that Papunya ESO

Keirrin Strange has made, with

Councillor Dalton McDonald

giving his approval in the photo

on the left. A handwashing

station is now outside the

Papunya Council office. They are

all made from recycled materials

that were sourced from around

community.

RIGHT: Titjikala team’s

innovation for people to wash

their hands.

BELOW RIGHT: tape has been

placed on the floor in the Finke

Council office to help with

physical distancing. The number

of people allowed in MRC offices

have been restricted dependant

on the size of the reception area.

WASH YOUR HANDS TO STOP THE SPREAD


Messages from Areyonga

ABOVE: Reandra Dixon’s poster


Corona-cleaning to keep those germs away

from MRC facilities and vehicles

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Cherise Major cleans a mobile phone in Kintore,

Alicia Mulga helps clean the ECLC in Titjikala,

Donna Ferguson cleaning a nappy station in Docker River

KEEP EVERYTHING CLEAN

TO STOP THE SPREAD

ABOVE: Lorraine Scobie cleaning the Centrelink station in Kintore


Corona-cleaning to keep those germs away

from MRC facilities and vehicles

ABOVE: Kintore MacSafe’s Rodney Willy and Martha McDonald

cleaning the MacSafe vehicle

ABOVE: LA member Francis Collins keeping the local

wildlife safe in Kintore

BELOW: CSC Heather Smith cleans the public phone in Finke

BELOW: Rebecca and Doreen giving the

Kintore Early Childhood Learning Centre a clean to keep

the germs away


Clean the facilities and wash your hands

ABOVE: Glendenia Mitchell cleans up the toys at Docker River ECLC.

BELOW: Trismay Anderson scrubbing between her fingers, also at ECLC.


Working togetherCommunity teamwork to keep everyone safe

ABOVE: The Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison closed all playgrounds in Australia. On the right, Kenneth Hayes

from Civil Works closes the playground at Finke, ensuring our communities follow the Australian Government rules.

On the 1 May, the Northern Territory Government re-opened the playgrounds.

ABOVE: Michelle Buzzacott, at

Docker River ECLC, using toys and

cushions to physically distance.

RIGHT: Nadine Mitchell safely

sneezing to ‘stop the spread’.


Working togetherCommunity teamwork to keep everyone safe

LEFT: Young family’s entry into the Santa

Teresa upcycling car bonnet competition. It

was sponsored by the Service Providers and

the Catholic Church Santa Teresa, AAAC,

Catholic Care NT, and Literacy 4 Life.

ABOVE: Finke NDIS Remote Community

Connector Justine Anderson putting up a

poster from Central Land Council. The poster

asks people to stay safe at home and to not go

to funerals or sorry camps.

BELOW: Hayes family’s entry into the Santa Teresa car bonnet competition


Keeping connectedWith the travel restrictions in place, MRC staff have been using virtual meeting rooms and

teleconferences to stay connected.

In the photos below, Director Community Services Rohan Marks (bottom left) attends the

MRC Titjikala staff meeting (top) via video conference. In the photo bottom right, the Ordinary

Council meeting is held via video conference, with Councillors attending from 7 communities

along with the Alice Springs office.


Photo courtesy of Ltyentye Apurte TV

“Stop, stop, stop, it now. This is a very serious illness.

People who use the back roads will be caught. Kele mwarre”Philip Alice

NT Police Officer and Chair Local Authority

Santa Teresa

“We’ve just gotta sit back and

listen. We gotta be responsible

and not go to town, for the safety

of us and of others” Sammy Butcher

Local Authority Member

Papunya

“We have to wait for the

government to let us into town,

sit down and listen.

It’s a tiny community, it could just

spread around easily”Darren Wilyuka

Civil Works

Titjikala

Photo courtesy of CAAMA

MESSAGES FROM MRC

LOCAL AUTHORITY MEMBERS

AND STAFF


MacYouth have been running a “Virtual Athletics

Carnival” to keep the competitive spirit going, with

new events announced weekly. As seen in the photos,

speedy young people from Titjiakala competed in the

50m sprint. The youth team staff and the competitors

then send their times and results in to Coordinator

Sports and Recreation Ted Lawrence to tally up a

Leader Board.

VIRTUAL CARNIVAL GETS OFF TO A RUNNING START

ABOVE: Saline from Titjikala gets set and goes!

LEFT: Alita from Titjikala is on her mark

Contact your MacYouth team or Ted at

[email protected]

The carnival will run until 30 May 2020

mailto:[email protected]


ABOVE: Tremayne from Titjikala on your mark

BELOW: Lydia from Titjikala gets set and goes!

STILL FEELING THE NEED FOR SPEEDVIRTUAL CARNIVAL GETS OFF TO A RUNNING START

Documents

MacDonnell Regional Council Staff Newsletter April 2020 v ...€¦ · sure everyone washed their hands when they arrived each morning, as well as other times like ... 1.5 metres from