West Arnhem communities celebrated Australia Day their own way

A number of community celebrations were held across the West Arnhem region including Maningrida, Jabiru, Minjilang and Gunbalanya during the recent long weekend.
On Friday, January 24, West Arnhem Regional Council’s (WARC) Youth, Sport and Recreation team and pool staff collaborated with Remote School Attendance Scheme (RSAS) to celebrate ‘Maningrida Day’.
The event which celebrated Maningrida and also recognised Australia Day, involved a number of exciting activities including Aboriginal flag t-shirt painting, a spear competition, a kids bungul and the screening of local short films on the new LED screen. 
The event saw over 50 community members in attendance and a great number of people engaged in the activities. The young people had a great time painting their t-shirts and trying to spear the target. 
The evening ended with a big fish barbecue courtesy of Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation which everyone enjoyed. 
In Jabiru, around 40 community members gathered at the swimming pool to enjoy a pool party with all types of inflatable toys.

The highlights of the morning were the presentations of the ‘2020 Citizen of the Year Awards’ by WARC Councillor Elizabeth Williams and the barbecue lunch.
Organisers wish to thank the staff, MC Andy Ralph, volunteers and the Jabiru Fire Station for their help on the day.
Residents of all ages turned out to celebrate at the Minjilang event on Sunday, January 26, with pride resonating throughout the community.
To entertain the younger community members, WARC staff organised face painting and also a water slide and water toys. There was also a delicious community barbecue to finish off a great day out. 
Finally, the Gunbalanya community enjoyed a barbecue on Sunday, January 26.
During the event, special awards were given to Gunbalanya Clinic, Intract and Stronger Communities for Children for the mammoth efforts during the ‘healthy Skin, Healthy Community’ initiative which took place in the community in November.
Throughout the day, there were also many outdoor activities for the young ones including football, water guns and bubbles for the kids to play with. 
There was also some gymnastics fun on the equipment.  
To cap off what was a great community day, there was plenty of food to go around including hamburgers, sausages and damper. 
WARC staff said it was great to see the community come together and to see the new equipment and basketball court at the Youth Centre.
WARC wishes to thank the Australia Day Council for supporting these events.
Warruwi plan to hold a community celebration very shortly so stay tuned for the event details.