Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) is driving its own development with the opening of a new, community-funded skate park next to its footy oval on Saturday, 16 September.
The event celebrates the vision of Spinifex Skateboards founder Nicky Hayes, who took his idea for the $436,600 park to a community meeting in 2021.
Mr Hayes is a member of the Central Land Council-supported working group that invests Ltyentye Apurte’s leasing income in projects that benefit the whole community.
For the past four years he has run weekly skateboarding workshops at the recreation hall and the basketball court with the Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation and the youth program of the MacDonnell Regional Council.
The workshops helped spread the word about the mental and physical benefits of skating.
“I wanted the skate park to improve the wellbeing of the kids in Ltyentye Apurte,” Mr Hayes said.
“To ensure they stay active and to have an outdoor skate park where families can hang out and accommodate young people’s needs of having fun within a safe space for skateboards, bikes and scooters.”
The remote community, one hour’s drive south of Alice Springs, decided to fund half of the projected project costs on the condition that the balance would be sourced from grant funding. A grant from the Aboriginals Benefit Account and in-kind support from the Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation and the park’s designers and builders, East by West and Grind Projects, allowed the project to be completed in August.
CLC chair Matthew Palmer congratulated community leaders for putting young people first.
“My nieces, nephews and grannies are lucky to grow up in a community that is doing good things with its lease money, keeping them happy, busy and out of trouble.”
“I am very proud of my cousin Nicky, and wish him and the community all the best with the skate park,” he said.
“I hope the next time I visit I can watch a skating competition.”
The opening event will kick off at 11am with a smoking ceremony and dance performance, followed by local bands, a community BBQ with roo tails and, of course, skating.
Contact: Sophia Willcocks | 0488 984 885| media@clc.org.au