Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

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1 Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

2 Northern Territory Town Profiles Our thanks to Paul Kelly, Gangajang, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Warumpi Band and The Castle for the inspiration for Alongside s chapter headings. Thank you to the rangers, community members, shires, NTPFES employees and their families who shared their experiences and expertise with Alongside in the creation of these profiles. Copyright 2017 Alongside All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of authors. To obtain permission contact: Paige Hobbs paige@alongside.org.au Phone: Level 16 The Charles Darwin Centre, 19 Smith St, Darwin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following book may contain images of deceased persons. hello@alongside.org.au Design by One Idea

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5 Moving to a new location can be stressful and overwhelming for several reasons, not least because you may be moving to a remote community, or a town you have never been to before. Partners and families of Northern Territory Police are often required to move around the Territory to support a loved one in the job and while Alongside cannot make some of those changes go away, we can help reduce some of the unknowns for you. We understand that moving somewhere new can be daunting. It is our job to offset those feelings the best we can by providing you with as much information possible on the community you are about to call home. The Alongside town profiles are here to help. Designed to provide Northern Territory Police, their partners and families an overview of each location in the Northern Territory, the Alongside town profiles detail everything from the nuts-and-bolts essentials to suggestions of great things to do on the weekend, how to assimilate into local cultures and the general vibe of a place. From all of us at Alongside, welcome to Santa Teresa! Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

6 FROM LITTLE THINGS, BIG THINGS GROW Town Overview Santa Teresa, known as Ltyentye Apurte to the local Eastern Arrernte speakers, is a small remote community of about 500 people located 80 kilometres south-east of Alice Springs. Santa Teresa is a community noted not only for its cohesion, but also for the nature and variety of its support services and recreation facilities. The town is divided into four areas; East Side, New Houses, Old Village and Through the Fence. These areas are used by different family groups in accordance with cultural practice. The community of Santa Teresa has a population of approximately 500 people, of which 90 percent are Indigenous. Santa Teresa is within the Rodinga Ward of the MacDonnell Regional Council. Northern Territory Town Profiles

7 Heritage Santa Teresa was established as a Catholic mission in the 1950s to house Aboriginal people who came over mostly from the Alice Springs region. The history of the community can be traced back to the 1920s when a camp was set up in Alice Springs near Anzac Hill by local Arrernte people in the bush. The country surrounding Santa Teresa is rich in rock art, artefacts and ceremonial sites. Indigenous communities The Ltyentye Apurte Community, also known as Santa Teresa, is an Arrernte indigenous community. There is also an outstation at Phillipson. Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

8 WITH DIFFERENT LIVES, IN DIFFERENT PLACES Climate Santa Teresa has a semi-arid climate and experiences four seasons. In summer from December to February, the average temperature ranges from 20 to 37 degrees Celsius. In winter from June to August, the average temperature range is 0 to 20 degrees Celsius. Spring and autumn experience warm days and cool evenings. All The Essentials Santa Teresa is a dry community and therefore alcohol must not be brought into, possessed or consumed within the community boundaries. It is a traditional Aboriginal community with restricted access. Permission to visit is required via a permit application through the Central Land Council. Santa Teresa Community Store sells basic groceries such as fresh milk, frozen bread and meat. As well as a limited range of fresh fruit and vegetables. The store also sells hardware and clothing. Northern Territory Town Profiles

9 The store sells petrol, diesel, leaded and unleaded fuels. There are EFTPOS and credit card facilities available in the general store. The MacDonnell Regional Council is contracted by Australia Post to provide postal delivery services in its Council office. The closest major shopping hub for residents is Alice Springs, located 80 kilometres away and the road from Santa Teresa is only unsealed for 60 kilometres making Alice Springs easily accessible in dry season. Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

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11 Mpwelarre Health Aboriginal Corporation, also known as Santa Teresa Health Centre, provides primary health care services to the residents of Santa Teresa. It is an Aboriginal community controlled health service. The Centre is open Monday to Friday with permanent staff on duty including a doctor, remote area nurses, Aboriginal health practitioners, drivers, counsellors, administration and Aboriginal liaison officers. The clinic provides a range of services including primary health care, alcohol and other drug related services, social emotional and wellbeing counselling services, exercise physiologist services and chronic disease education. The health centre also receives regular visits from a range of specialists. A daily bus operates between the clinic and Alice Springs for patients. Emergency response services are provided around the clock. People suffering medical emergencies are evacuated to Alice Springs by the Royal Flying Doctors Service. There is no pharmacy in the community, medications are dispensed as required via the Health Centre or can be obtained in Alice Springs. The community has access to full telephone and internet services, broadband satellite services, Telstra 3G mobile coverage and digital television. The local community radio is 8KIN FM Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

12 Ltyentye Apurte Catholic School (LACS) caters from Kindergarten through to year 11, with an enrolment of approximately 139 students. The school has small class sizes and specialist facilities such as a community library, workshop and visual arts centre, pottery and home economics rooms. Every classroom has access to the internet and there are PCs, laptops, ipads and interactive whiteboards throughout the school. English is the second or third language for most of the students at the school and the Arrernte language and cultural program is a key part of the curriculum. As such, the school might not be the best fit for mainstream educated children. Many secondary students attend boarding school in Alice Springs, Darwin or interstate. Through its Children s Services program, MacDonnell Regional Council delivers Out of School Hours Care as well as Childcare and Vocational Care programs. Northern Territory Town Profiles

13 IN CONVOYS OF SILENCE THE CATTLE GRAZE Sport and Recreation The community has an indoor sports centre, swimming pool, football oval, softball oval and children s playground. Within the sports hall, you will find pool tables, trampolines and a juke box. Bush walking and camping are very popular activities within the community. There are visiting services throughout the year that support community run services to deliver programs, targeted mainly for people over 15 years. The programs include music industry skills, digital media production, hairdressing and fashion. The local AFL teams travel to Alice Springs by community coach every weekend during winter to participate in the Central Australian Football League competition. Most festivals and events around the area are held in Alice Springs, although there is an annual sports carnival weekend in April as well as Horse Racing. Events in Alice Springs include The Tatts Finke Desert Race, an off-road, multi terrain two-day race for bikes, cars, buggies and quads through desert country from Alice Springs to the Finke community. The race is held each year on the Queen s Birthday long weekend in June. Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

14 The Red Centre NATS, held on Father s Day weekend, combines three days of action and entertainment across Alice Springs, showcasing Australia s largest street parade. If street machines, elite show cars, hobby vehicles, hot rods, classics and supercars are your thing, be sure to check it out. Parrtjima is a spectacular world of light and sound where contemporary and traditional Indigenous stories and artwork are brought to life under the night sky on an unprecedented scale. Held over 10 nights at the end of September, two kilometres of the epic 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges are illuminated, spilling into Alice Springs Desert Park. The annual Camel Cup is held in July at Blatherskite Park, part of the Central Australian Show Society grounds. It is a full day event with a series of races using camels instead of horses. The unique annual sporting event Henley-on-Todd Regatta is a sand river race with bottomless boats and it remains the only dry river regatta in the world. The Beanie Festival was organised to sell crocheted beanies by Aboriginal women in remote communities. It has grown into a fun event where artists share their culture and exhibit together. It is held annually in June. Northern Territory Town Profiles

15 There is no commercial accommodation within Santa Teresa, however Alice Springs has plenty of options and is only 80 kilometres away. Arts Keringke Art Centre was established in 1987 as a humble nine-week fabric-painting course. It was named after the Dreaming place of Kathleen Wallace, one of the artists at Santa Teresa. Keringke means Kangaroo Tracks. The Centre quickly became an influential model for other art projects in the area. Despite widespread funding cuts to Art Centres during the 90s, Keringke has flourished in recent times and is now a vital component of the area s cultural, social and economic fabric. Keringke Art Centre in Santa Teresa enables you to meet local Aboriginal artists and learn about Aboriginal culture. There are beautiful art works hanging on the walls of the historic church building and you can purchase works directly from local artists. Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

16 I M TOLD I M GOING PLACES Santa Teresa is about 80 kilometres south-east of Alice Springs with 65 kilometres of unsealed gravel road surface. It is often quite rough with corrugations as well as sand patches. The road can be closed by heavy rain and a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended. The drive from Santa Teresa to Alice Springs takes between one to two hours depending on road conditions. Avoid travelling on the road from dusk until dawn if possible as there are feral horses and cattle in the region that can be dangerous. Santa Teresa has a gravel airstrip, which is suitable for day use only. There are no regular flights to Santa Teresa, however flights can be chartered. Distances out of Santa Teresa; Darwin...1,580km Alice Springs...80km Hale...60km Hermannsburg...200km Finke...300km Northern Territory Town Profiles

17 PLACES TO START The Northern Territory s Bushtel website has profiles on all communities in the Northern Territory. The profiles provide a quick snap-shot of information on each community. NTG tourism site has an amazing selection of highlights, ideas on things to see and do, maps, accommodation and tours and event bookings to have you covered throughout your stay in Santa Teresa. If four-wheel driving is your thing, the team at 4WD Australia has a brilliant section on tracks in the NT, and is a solid place to research your adventures whilst at Santa Teresa. The MacDonnell Council website provides a fantastic overview of the community as well as information on the council s role and responsibilities. Santa Teresa (Ltyentye Apurte)

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