Cyclone shelter whirls into Warruwi

Construction of a cyclone shelter begins on South Goulburn Island. PHOTO COURTESY WARRUWI COMMUNITY SCHOOL

CONSTRUCTION has begun on a long-awaited cyclone shelter for Warruwi.

The shelter was promised to residents of the island community after they were twice airlifted to Darwin last wet season as part of cyclone evacuations.

NT Chief Minister Adam Giles announced plans for the shelter on 25 March 2015, one day after Cyclone Nathan crossed the coast between Maningrida and Warruwi.

At that time, WARC Deputy Mayor James Marrawal urged the government to build the structure before the wet season.

“We are the ones who suffer when a cyclone hits,” Cr Marrawal told The Wire.

The work should be done using local labour and provide Indigenous training opportunities, he said.

On 18 November, the Department of Infrastructure awarded a tender for the multi-purpose hall and cyclone shelter to Darwin-based company WTD Constructions, who began work on-site on South Goulburn Island last month.

The multi-purpose hall, with an estimated completion date of March 2016, will be built at the local school at a cost of $2.67m.

Elated by the news, school staff reported “exciting times at Warruwi” on the Warruwi Community School facebook page.

“The construction of the Warruwi Community Hall started yesterday,” says the post to the page, dated 10 December.

“The hall will be a great asset to the community and will also be used as an emergency shelter.”

The school gave “a big thank you to the traditional owners and community elders who worked so hard to have this built”.