Six paid interns are boosting the cleanup efforts in Wujal Wujal following what is now regarded as the wettest tropical cyclone ever recorded hitting the mainland.
The floods following Cyclone Jasper’s landfall caused devastating amounts of damage to the region, and in mid-April most of Wujal Wujal’s residents are still in emergency accommodation outside the Cook region as the community tries to clean up and rebuild.
Community-based and external support organisations have banded together and established a team of interns to assist in these clean-up efforts for the community. Hosted by Gungarde Community Aboriginal Corporation (GCAC) and working in close collaboration with Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council (WWASC), the ‘Wujal Wujal Community Disaster Resilience Project’ is facilitated through the CDP Boost Employee Intern Program available in the Cook region. These local organisations are supported to deliver the project by our organisation and EMG Workforce, with both providing back-end administration and management assistance.
Some of the employee interns: Rex Liddy, Muna Budj-Jal Hastie, Thomas Yougie and Dujuan Yougie (L to R), with Community engagers Ephraim Claudie (blue hat) and Gene Hubbard (far right)
The Resilience project is led by GCAC Project Manager Keegan Dinnie and includes three My Pathway Community Engagers in addition to the six employee interns. The project is employing local CDP participants in real roles with real wages while they help their community. Community engager Ephraim Claudie said the project was really helping the Wujal Wujal community’s recovery.
“The Resilience Project is very beneficial to the community in this time of need and supporting local CDP participants through the employee intern program is a bonus.”
The team have been hard at work, cleaning out council buildings, supporting the maintenance of salvageable assets, repairs and reconstruction of council property. They have been removing mud, sanitising, and cleaning the buildings back to a useable state along with maintaining overgrown areas of community land. Work has been completed at the Wujal Wujal Church, Kindy, Police Station grounds and the team are currently at the town hall.
The interns are proud to be involved in the valuable work in their community.
“I have really enjoyed being part of the Employee Intern program, helping my community rebuild and assisting to try to have family and friends return home faster,” one of the intern participants, Leonard Yoren, said.
“With a little luck community members might be moving back in in a month or so!”
The team have already undertaken training including gaining their White Cards and Remote First Aid certificates to ensure they and the wider community are kept safe as they undertake their work. They have also commenced machinery training in Backhoe/Tractor and Skid Steer and are utilising the newly gained skills to rebuild the community’s market garden area.
As the project progresses during the next six months the participants will continue to work on the recovery of the Wujal Wujal community. As they grow their experience and their tasks develop into more complex duties, the interns will be supported to complete additional accredited training to assist the project and their community in ongoing ways.
If you would like to find out more about the employee intern program or any other aspects of CDP Boost, please talk to your closest My Pathway office today.
The CDP is a fully funded initiative of the Australian Government.
This story first appeared in the Cape York Weekly as: Interns help prepare Wujal Wujal for community return