The River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) Rangers are making significant strides in preserving cultural heritage and boosting community morale. Established after a long journey of recognition and agreements, the RMMAC Rangers focus on protecting cultural sites and fostering knowledge transfer. Their work not only benefits the environment but also empowers indigenous youth, boosts self-esteem, and provides essential skills for the community's future.
Highlights
The RMMAC Rangers are dedicated to preserving cultural heritage in the Riverland. 🌿
Their program started in 2009 and has involved the community's traditional owners. 🛠️
RMMAC Rangers focus on protecting significant cultural sites, including burial sites. 🛡️
The program provides technical training like chainsaw operation and four-wheel driving. 🚜
Being a Ranger boosts participants' confidence and self-esteem. 💪
Employment opportunities with the Rangers break negative cycles and promote better lifestyles. 🔄
Young Rangers become role models, contributing to a stronger community. 🏆
Key Takeaways
RMMAC Rangers play a vital role in cultural preservation and environmental protection. 🌍
The program empowers indigenous youth by providing valuable skills and boosting confidence. 🌟
Employment through the RMMAC Rangers helps break cycles of adversity and strengthens communities. 💪
Overview
The journey of the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) Rangers has been one of persistence and success. With their indigenous land use agreement in place, the Rangers are now able to focus on what truly matters: preserving their cultural heritage. This program, initiated in 2009, has been pivotal for traditional owners who are now actively contributing through their own ranger teams.
RMMAC Rangers play a crucial role in caring for the country and cultural heritage in the Riverland. Their duties include safeguarding burial sites and culturally significant locations, which not only preserves history but also instills a sense of pride and responsibility in the younger generation. The program encompasses a diverse range of activities from environmental assessments to technical training, equipping the participants with valuable skills.
Beyond the immediate environmental benefits, the RMMAC Rangers initiative has profound social impacts. It breaks cycles of adversity by offering employment, instills confidence among youth, and strengthens community bonds. The presence of the Rangers serves as a symbol of transformation and empowerment, showcasing that with opportunity, indigenous communities can thrive.
Chapters
00:00 - 01:00: Introduction The chapter introduces the content with background music, possibly indicating the start of a new segment or section. Specific details about the subject matter to be covered are not provided, potentially due to a placeholder or missing transcript content.
01:00 - 03:00: Restoration Work and Community Impact The chapter titled 'Restoration Work and Community Impact' involves a conversation with Fiona Giles, the ranger coordinator of the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation rangers. Fiona discusses the historical context of their journey, noting that their consent determination, which acknowledges their rights, was officially recognized in 2011. This recognition came after many years of struggle and efforts to establish the corporation. The narrative likely explores the implications of this determination on community work, restoration efforts, and possibly the role of this corporation in local environmental and cultural preservation initiatives.
03:00 - 05:00: Program Growth and Development The chapter titled 'Program Growth and Development' discusses the indigenous land use agreement which covers a vast area from the bottom of Morgan to the New South Wales border. The chapter also touches upon the work done by the Rangers under the RMMAC indigenous land use agreement. Additionally, it mentions the origin of the Riverland Ranger program, which began in 2009 at Calperum station.
05:00 - 09:00: Personal and Social Benefits The chapter discusses the collaboration with traditional owners who, since March, have established their own Ranger team. This development is noted as a long-held aspiration of the community, emphasizing the personal and social benefits of having such a team. The chapter highlights the repeated message of the significance and positive impact of having the Ranger team in place.
09:00 - 10:00: Conclusion and Future Aspirations The chapter highlights the importance of involving young people in the conservation and protection of cultural heritage. It focuses on the RMMAC Rangers' responsibility to care for cultural sites across the Riverland, including the assessment, preservation, and protection of such heritage. This involves activities such as identifying and helping with the conservation of indigenous burial sites.
RMMAC Rangers Performance Story 2022 Transcription
00:00 - 00:30 [Music] foreign
00:30 - 01:00 [Music] foreign [Music] I'm Fiona Giles
I'm the ranger coordinator of the river Murray and Mallee
Aboriginal Corporation rangers our consent determination was recognized in 2011. it was a long fight before then so it's been
going on for years to create the corporation
01:00 - 01:30 and our indigenous land use agreement covers from the bottom of Morgan to the
New South Wales border and the Rangers we work on all of the RMMAC
indigenous land use agreement [Music] the Riverland Ranger program started back
uh in 2009 out at uh Calperum station
01:30 - 02:00 um and there we went on to working with
the traditional owners the traditional owners now since March have
had their own Ranger team A ranger team has I've got to say from my
experience has been an aspiration of this community for many many years um and you know
the thing that the message that gets repeated
02:00 - 02:30 time and time again is about getting
young folk out um caring for country so as an RMMAC Ranger I feel it's
our responsibility to take care of the cultural heritage that's scattered
throughout the Riverland it's to assess that cultural heritage and
to preserve and protect it we help with burial sites any uh in
indigenous burial sites that we find
02:30 - 03:00 will help cover them up and protect them any
cultural heritage sites of significance we help protect [Music] I'm learning more about my culture
and my history, so the more I learn the better too that I can teach the younger generation about it
so we can pass it on to them so they can learn and
03:00 - 03:30 take the lead and teach their
younger generation [Music] the scope of this program
I think is just fantastic that these these young people are getting in to those broader broader aspects of their Heritage
that you know their Landscapes their country we've been doing some tadpoing and things
this season we've did some tree health looking
03:30 - 04:00 at trees had to describe them in their
health we've done train soaring fencing um did a bit of meetings with
other people other organizations getting all of our all of our training so like
um like a chainsaw training and our four drive that's coming up all those sort of tickets
to get us to a better spot a better position
04:00 - 04:30 have a new ranger team has its
benefits in employment of our people um look at exposure to the community our
networking has broadened and I actually am promoting RMMAC to people that haven't
had the opportunity to come and meet us yet
04:30 - 05:00 [Music] having the arrangers on board has been
really exciting and for our board of directors they're proud of them because this
has been a part of the country part of our country planning was to
get that as part of our strategic plan for the five years was to create this
Ranger team so we've finally got it
05:00 - 05:30 [Music] so I was speaking with one of the elders
the other day and they were real pleased about seeing the young ones out with their
uniforms on you know going out to places so they were very proud of them as well so in our
community at the moment there's a buzz about you know we've got our Rangers there you know and
then and then that gives a younger generation also you know saying maybe in the near future
that they can become one too [Music] foreign
05:30 - 06:00 [Music] family Cycles the cycles of drugs and
alcohol um and showing that community especially the young fellas these fellas
are a role model to show them that you can
06:00 - 06:30 you can work and you are worthy of work and
the knowledge you learn from your people and your families is valued
and needed in the community [Music] I think it's important to talk about
the changes that happen in the people sometimes it might be just a little
change that is the biggest thing
06:30 - 07:00 [Music] it's a benefit to them
emotionally socially financially um it benefits them in the community their
self-confidence has grown they're exposed to um people that have never would have had
opportunities to talk to to meet to work alongside
07:00 - 07:30 I was able to get off the ground get off
the you know the drugs and concentrate on my family and concentrate on me as
a person and build my self-esteem foreign [Music] makes me makes me feel
like a like I'm a part of something and yeah it gives me gives me pride in my in my job
07:30 - 08:00 because this uh program rolls out I'm just seeing more and more confidence
in these guys in the in the ranger team I was like not a really talkative person and
like stand in front of everybody and talk like um was really shy but being in this job has taught
me that you don't have to be shame and shy [Music]
08:00 - 08:30 I definitely think that being involved
in the ranger team has increased my confidence beforehand I never used to like um
speaking in front of people I didn't like um doing a lot of things that involved
a lot of teamwork but now it's uh different I've opened my eyes to working
with other people and it's helped a lot
08:30 - 09:00 I feel like a few of the changes I see in
myself yeah I feel a lot more confident and proud to be who I am where I am but not only
that I can see confidence in the the younger fellas and that gives me I won't use the
word satisfaction but it gives me fulfillment [Music] I'm very proud of the Ranger team now
09:00 - 09:30 I mean watching them grow from when they first
started off and then watching what they're doing now and very proud of what they've been
doing looking after the country [Music] it's giving it's giving the opportunities that
we need and at the end of the day that's all we need we just need an opportunity we don't
need handout we just need an opportunity to prove that we can actually get out and do these
things and the armac ranges are one of the groups
09:30 - 10:00 that are getting out and doing that improving
that we can actually get on and get it done foreign [Music]