LETTER: Great shot, Shane!
Sir – Not sure how common this is but I’ve attached an image I took at Uluru last weekend. We’re here for 3 months, love it in Alice!
Shane Ocean
Iconic Aboriginal art for an iconic 21st Century object
In a first for Papunya Tula Artists, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, one of the company's most famous living painters, has agreed to license some of his art to be used in a commercial product. Two of his existing paintings, Rain Making At Malparingya and Echidna Dreaming At Tjungaringya, have been adapted for use on iPhone covers by a Melbourne-based company called Cygnett. Others artists being used for the covers include the Tats Cru, "legends" in the New York City street art scene and Nathan Jurevicius, an Australian US-based graphic novelist, illustrator and now animator. So Tjampitjinpa is in very trendy company. KIERAN FINNANE reports.
Aircraft graveyard construction starts
Work has started on construction of the aircraft "boneyard" at the Alice Springs airport.
Earth moving machines are working south of the main runway.
It is understood the facility will be used to store aircraft from all over the world at the end of their working life.
Tom Vincent, managing director of Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage, would not give details about the work but said the firm will be "releasing and publishing photographs on our website in the coming weeks". – Erwin Chlanda.
Indigenous adults must 'grow up' so that Indigenous children can depend on them, says Alison Anderson
Minister for Indigenous Advancement Alison Anderson has challenged the "culture of entitlement and welfare dependency" in the Territory's remote communities, calling on Indigenous adults to "grow up", to become real adults "so that children, real children can depend on you". She said she sometimes despairs at "the reluctance of some Indigenous people to take the jobs that are already there", for instance in the "long-running mining boom". Work is "not just about the money although the money is good", it is "about status and respect, about responsibility and dignity". The Minister was speaking in the NT Parliament on November 1, the last day of the first sittings since her party, the Country Liberals, came to power. Her unsparing analysis was made during a Ministerial Statement on "The Status of Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory". KIERAN FINNANE reports. At left: Ms Anderson during her election campaign.
Whatever happened to the Port Augusta model?
Whatever happened to the Port Augusta model? Since Councillor Steve Brown (at right) produced a report to council on what he has drawn from that southern city's approach to "community harmony", the public has heard not another peep. Back in May, when his and like-minded councillors were focussed on having a council body monitor the effective delivery of government services in Alice Springs, there was sense of urgency in the discussion. Now, says Cr Brown, council is waiting for the right moment to talk to the new Territory Government about what is on its mind. KIERAN FINNANE reports.
Above: The Country Liberals' major promise of their election campaign was $2.5m to upgrade the Alice Springs Youth Centre, a long way behind Cr Brown's proposals for Alice's Port Augusta-inspired responses to social problems, which include a new youth centre. Then prospective Chief Minister Terry Mills talks to the Youth Centre's Marie Petery and June Noble. With them are Braitling MLA Adam Giles and Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley, now Minister for Central Australia.
Is Fred our most faithful visitor?
When it comes to repeat business, Viennese optometrist Alfred Pruckner must be a dream come true for the local tourist industry. Since 1995 he has toured Central Australia 16 times, every time staying for a few weeks, cruising around the bush in big hired 4WDs, taking in the well known attractions, and many not so well known. His experiences over nearly two decades make him more qualified than most to judge the region, from the standpoint of a paying tourist. ERWIN CHLANDA reports. PICTURED: Alfred and his partner, Erika, at Chambers Pillar and this week.
The Great Alcohol Debate: Police protective custodies headed south over the last six years
UPDATED: November 1, 2012, 12.28pm. See graph at FULL STORY.
Protective custody statistics shown in the Police Annual Report, tabled in the Legislative Assembly yesterday, show a considerable drop in police protective custodies over the last six years, with a big hike in the middle period followed by a big drop in 2010-11. This puts a different complexion on the recent mileage made by NT Attorney-General John Elferink of the small drop in police PCs between 2010-11 and 2011-12. A small drop building on a big drop is a better look for where alcohol policy was heading than just a small drop on its own. KIERAN FINNANE reports.
Back to the drawing board on pedestrian crossings in Alice CBD
Council will not be proceeding with wombat crossings between the Post Office, Yeperenye and Coles – nor any new crossings at all – pending further consideration of past reports and a new traffic study in the CBD. The issue had been discussed at length by the previous council, with the wombat crossings finally agreed to. At last night's meeting the Technical Services department was seeking council's permission to proceed. KIERAN FINNANE reports.
Above: Probably the CBD's busiest crossing, on Hartley Street in front of the Yeperenye shopping centre.
