Inaugural indigenous traineeship celebrates success at ADF's Shoalwater Bay

14/12/2022

In a landmark moment, the inaugural cohort of Darumbal Trainee Rangers have graduated from their year-long traineeship at Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) in Queensland.

The trainee program is a collaboration between the Department of Defence, Downer Defence, the Darumbal People Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, TAFE Queensland, and Downer’s Service Delivery Partner Ecosure, a specialist environmental consultancy.

Many years in the planning, the inaugural program launched in late 2021 to provide training and opportunities for Darumbal, the local Traditional Custodians, in the land management, revegetation and conservation of a variety of ecosystems types across their Country at SWBTA - one of the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) prime training areas.

Jacob Bonisch, Head of Downer Defence said, “This traineeship is an important partnership created to protect and sustain Defence land and provide meaningful opportunities for Indigenous communities on Country.”

“These 450,000 hectares are important to the Darumbal people, and this partnership has demonstrated what can be achieved with the right intent.” 

Darumbal Traditional Custodian Malcolm Mann stated, “These are the sorts of commitments that give us an opportunity to advance our capability in land and sea Country management. We have a custodial responsibility to our Country and commit to look after our land and sea Country.” 

“It is a credit to all involved that 100 percent of the cohort are successfully graduating – not an easy feat”. 

“The trainees have learned Downer Defence’s and the ADF’s ways of doing their business and applying their knowledge. We have found our partners at Shoalwater Bay Training Area equally eager to learn more about connection to Country that Darumbal people have had for over 2,000 generations.” Mr Mann said.

The eight trainees who comprised the first intake learned natural resource management skills as they completed their Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management via TAFE Queensland.  Downer Defence’s Service Delivery Partner Ecosure worked closely with the trainees to provide practical hands-on experience working in the field on Country. 

Core learnings that the graduates take with them include: 

- Implementing a plant establishment program

- Implementing a landscape maintenance program

- Maintaining biosecurity through the control of weeds, plant pests, diseases, and disorders 

- Providing information on plants and their culture

- Work health and safety processes

- Environmentally sustainable work practices

- Carrying out inspections for designated areas

- Performing machinery maintenance

The graduation event included a ceremony on Country at SWBTA, attended by the graduates’ colleagues and family, followed by a welcome ceremony to introduce the next cohort – an all-female group – to the 2023 Darumbal Ranger Traineeship program.

“Downer Defence have spent years developing this program with Defence and the Darumbal peoples, creating meaningful connection in our role managing Defence bases and estates with the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which we operate.” 

“This traineeship proves that we can learn from each other, and we can keep working together to develop this kind of specialised capability across this area, and potentially across other Defence assets around Australia,” Downer Defence’s Jacob Bonisch said.

Diane Lanyon, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Ecosure said, “It has been an honour to be part of this collaboration, seeing the graduates grow their knowledge over the last 12 months, and helping guide the training to ensure culturally significant and environmentally significant sites were worked on by the team.”

“The wonderful project of revegetating Munda Creek will ensure the new trainees have a site to nurture, grow and further develop - a wonderful handover between these cohort,” Mrs Lanyon said.