Dear Colleagues & Friends,
Happy New Year and Welcome to our 27 th newsletter. Some more new people have been added to this newsletter list. Please let us know if you no longer wish to receive it. 2007 has been a great year for NCCP and we’ll mention some of the highlights for the 2 nd semester below. Our most notable achievement of course was winning the Community ICT (Information & Communication Technologies) Innovator of the Year Award at the CISA Community Information Technology Awards in Adelaide on 14 May 2007 for our Networking North Coast Indigenous Communities Project.
A NEW TRAINEE AND A NEW ROOM
Our new young Diploma in IT trainee Jeremy Billett
Welcome to our new young Diploma in IT trainee Jeremy Billett. Jeremy (pictured) is the first Diploma level trainee with North Coast Institute. Keep pushing through with those modules Jeremy!
NCCP has relocated to a smaller room across the hall at Maclean Campus so our previous room can be used for extra classes. The new room is overlooking the front entrance so we are now the eyes (Jeremy) and ears (Bernie) of Maclean Campus. As always, we remain very grateful to North Coast Institute and particularly to Campus Manager Lyn McGuire for continuing to allow us to base our activities on their premises.
VISIT TO BRISBANE
On behalf of NCCP, Bernie visited Brisbane on 27 th November at the invitation of Australian Flexible Learning Framework’s Indigenous Engagement Project (IEP). The IEP under the leadership of Rhonda Appo has achieved fantastic outcomes over the past 3 years and we hope very much that these projects will continue.
NEW EHUB AT BOWRAVILLE
A new Ehub has now been installed at Bowraville providing computer technology and broadband internet access in the local kindergarten so that it will be a well-used and valued community facility. This Certificate 3 IT course is run by North Coast Institute’s new North Coast Aboriginal Learning Partnerships together with NCCP and Bowraville Aboriginal Land Council. The Ehub will be providing a much needed resource for these children (see picture) over the holiday break. These unique hand signs mean “What’s up?” or “Yo” (according to my 13 y.o. daughter – I didn’t know that…. did you ?) Many thanks to everyone involved for helping with this important project. The local community have been really fantastic. We definitely need to keep this one going! A big thank you to Banana Coast Credit Union for decommissioning their Pentium IV IBM machines which the Goorie class refurbished and installed in their Ehub. This is community capacity building at it best!!!
INDIGENOUS SIGNAGE PROJECT
Policy has been finally approved by Clarence Valley Council. See their press release below. North Coast Computer Project have now lodged an application together with the Elders for some 27 signs to be erected. Many thanks to TAFE IT teacher Denise Patten who has been working closely with the Elders on the Signage Project and who is now going to Abu Dhabi for 6 months. Have a good trip Denise!
20 DECEMBER 2007 INDIGENOUS SIGNAGE GETS COUNCIL SUPPORT
Did you know Ilarwill means wild coote in Yaegl language? On the other hand, that Yaegl means man.
Or Ulagundahi means ear because the island is shaped like an ear?
Ulagundahi Elders and representatives of the Aboriginal community in the Lower Clarence have been working on a project to augment existing town and village signage with Aboriginal meanings.
In support of the project and in order for it to progress, Clarence Valley Council adopted an Indigenous Signage Policy at its meeting held 11 December. This is the next step towards the introduction of Indigenous Signage across the Lower Clarence Valley.
“The new Policy sets out a process for how applications for indigenous signage will be managed, what the consultation process will be and how cultural protocols are to be addressed” said Mayor Ian Tiley
“Council will continue to work with the Yaegl Elders on this excellent cultural awareness project.
“In addition to the opportunity for sense of place expression by the Aboriginal community, the project offers other potential benefits to the Clarence Valley through value adding to visitor understanding, enhancing community awareness and education in relation to local Aboriginal culture and heritage.” the Mayor added.
Authorised by: Ian Tiley MAYOR
So many people to thank. Staff, volunteers, students, TAFE colleagues, supporting organisation’s… You all know who you are. 2008 is going to be GREAT. We have more exciting projects in the pipeline so stay tuned !!!
are in need again of computers to refurbish so please keep us in mind. Anything Pentium 3 and above is acceptable. This Newsletter does go out to a lot of people working in various government agencies so please do us a favour and check with your ICT department to see if their machines can be decommissioned to us here at NCCP. Most of our machines do go to students and Indigenous communities.
Keep Smiling