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Kurrung Sports Carnival unites communities

09 August 2018

Registrations are about to close for the 9th annual Kurrung Sports Carnival and already the event is shaping up to be enormous in 2018.
Sports teams will congregate in Jabiru, situated in the World Heritage-Listed Kakadu National Park, for the two-day event which will take place on Friday, 31 August and Saturday, 1 September.
Proudly hosted by West Arnhem Regional Council (WARC), the carnival attracts teams from around Minjilang, Warruwi, Maningrida, Gunbalanya, Jabiru, Kakadu, Darwin and surrounding regions and includes a men’s and women’s basketball competition and men’s AFL competition.
The carnival, which is just shy of its 10th anniversary, continues to be an important event, uniting different communities while emphasising fair play, comradery and team spirit. The word ‘Kurrung’ is also a local Aboriginal word for the season when ‘mahbilil’, the afternoon breeze, rises and the magpie geese fly in huge numbers across the wetlands and lay their eggs. 
WARC Programs Coordinator – Youth and Community Development Erin Riddell said there is a whole lot of great energy building around the event.
“Teams across the region are already training in preparation for the upcoming carnival – the biggest of its kind in West Arnhem/Kakadu,” Erin said.
“The message of ‘No More Violence’ will be an underpinning theme of the event, and reflects the positivity and vitality of West Arnhem communities and team members.” 
The carnival officially begins on Friday, 31 August with the men’s basketball competition getting under way at the Jabiru Courts, and on Saturday, 1 September the women’s basketball will be held at Jabiru Area School and the men’s AFL will kick off at Brockman Oval.
“With as many as 400 people expected to attend, Kurrung 2018 is set to be a fabulous family event and the result of incredible teamwork by a number of community stakeholders and generous sponsors,” Erin said. 

West Arnhem Regional Council wishes to thank all supporters and sponsors of this year’s carnival, including the Northern Territory Government, Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Starwin Shopfront, Kakadu Lodge, Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel, Energy Resources of Australia, No More Violence Campaign, BP Jabiru and Jabiru Foodland.
This year’s carnival will also run in conjunction with the Mahbilil Festival which will take place on Saturday, August 26 at the Jabiru pool area.
For more information about the Kurrung Sports Carnival see the West Arnhem Regional Council Facebook page or the Mahbilil Festival visit http://mahbililfestival.com/ 

 

EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, 31 August: Men’s Basketball at Jabiru Courts
Saturday, 1 September:  Women’s Basketball at Jabiru Area School and Men’s AFL at Brockman Oval
Followed by official presentations