A sports camp for some of the Northern Territory’s most isolated children and a garden-to-table sustainability plan in Ngukurr are two of the seven projects that will share $15,000 in funding through round two of Roper Gulf Regional Council’s 2016-17 Community Grants Program.
The Council announced the recipients at its final Ordinary Meeting of 2016 on December 14, with the NT branch of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA) set to receive a $3000 major grant that will assist with running a two-day sporting event that will offer a “sense of community” for rural families.
ICPA Katherine branch President Kerrie Scott said the inaugural sports camp, which will be held in Mataranka in April 2017, would bring distance education students together to try their hands at team sports they would have otherwise had no exposure to because of geographic isolation.
“This much-needed camp will focus on team sports that remote children have very little exposure to,” she explained.
“It will develop gross motor skills, introduce team building, promote physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices, promote good mental health through social interaction with peers, promote equality in sport, encourage collaboration between organisations, and most importantly, instil a sense of community for isolated families.”
Mrs Scott added that the grant would allow families to make the journey to Mataranka without some of the financial burden associated with long-distance travel.
“It is always our aim to make our events accessible to every child without adding further financial pressure to families,” she said. “It is not just a 10-minute drive on a Saturday morning for our kids to participate in sport; some of these families will travel long distances across dirt roads, and may be the only sporting activity they can be involved in.
“I would sincerely like to thank the Roper Gulf Regional Council for awarding us $3000 through the Community Grants Program that will enable us to hold our very first ICPA sports camp in Mataranka.”
The Ngukurr community is also celebrating its success in the round two allocations after the school and netball team received major grants of $3000 and $2000 respectively to help fund a food security project and a once-in-a-lifetime netball trip to Melbourne.
The Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Michael Berto, congratulated recipients and said the diverse range of projects that were successful in securing funding were at the core of what the Community Grants Program aimed to facilitate.
“The Community Grants Program is a way for Council to provide financial assistance for projects that will enhance the liveability, economy and environment of the Roper Gulf region,” he said.
“The fact that Council has contributed $30,000 to 12 projects in just two rounds demonstrates how successful the program is, and that organisations see it as a trusted pathway to securing the funding needed to turn community project concepts in remote areas into a reality.”
The seven recipients are:
Major funding category (up to $3000)
- Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association NT branch – 2017 sports camp ($3000)
- Ngukurr School – Sustainable Garden to Table project ($3000)
- Mataranka Tourism Working Group – Stay, Play and Explore Mataranka and Surrounds project ($3000)
- Minyerri Arts and Cultural Centre – Young Makers project ($2000)
- Ngukurr netball team – netball training and trip to Melbourne ($2000)
Minor funding category (up to $1000)
- Never Never Festival Committee – Stay, Play and Explore Mataranka and Surrounds project ($1000)
- Big River Hawks – participation of girls’ team in under-18 NTFL competition ($1000)
Roper Gulf Regional Council’s Community Grants Program provides financial assistance of up to $3000 for projects that will benefit community events and activities, economic development, or the physical or natural environment.
The next round of applications will be announced in July 2017.
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For further information, please contact the Communications Coordinator on 0427 674 212 or at roper.governance@ropergulf.nt.gov.au.