On Saturday, July 6, the WETT advisory committee won the education category, recognising nearly two decades of support across a range of partnerships and programs that align with Warlpiri education priorities in Yuendumu, Willowra, Nyirrpi, and Lajamanu.
The committee advises WETT on investing gold mining royalties in community-driven initiatives supporting education and training priorities in the four communities.
Maisie Kitson, a retired teacher of 40 years, has been on the WETT advisory committee for 19 years and is one of the strong Warlpiri women who founded the trust in 2005.
Ms Kitson accepted the award on behalf of her colleagues.
“And when we heard ‘Warlpiri Education and Training Trust,’ we all hugged. I was feeling happy and proud. And my tears were coming down,” she said.
Sharon Anderson, an educator from Lajamanu and member of the WETT advisory committee since 2007, accepted the award with Ms Kitson.
“It’s for WETT. It’s been a great achievement all those years of what we have been doing—all the work with the Kurra Directors, community members, and [project] partners. Everyone is getting involved in children’s education. It’s for all Warlpiri,” Ms Anderson said.
“I thought of the Elders, educators and founding [WETT] members who have been guiding us along our journey. And the four Warlpiri communities.”
Many of WETT’s founding members are still on the advisory committee today, and innovative measures are being taken to support new and younger members in joining the committee and growing into these important roles.
WETT is a Warlpiri-controlled and governed initiative administered through the CLC.
The WETT advisory committee, comprising four Warlpiri representatives from the four communities and one each from Newmont and the CLC, plays a crucial role in designing, planning, and monitoring WETT-funded initiatives. This committee meets three times a year and advises the directors of the Kurra Aboriginal Corporation, whose members are traditional owners of the mine site. The Kurra directors, guided by this advice, allocate funding to the WETT programs.
So far, WETT has invested more than $57 million to support Yapa (Warlpiri people) across its five education program areas:
- Children and families
- Language and culture in schools
- Youth development
- Secondary school support
- Learning community centres
Contact: Tess O’Loughlin | 0461 396 054 | media@admin