Ngurrawaana Rangers training

The Ngurrawaana community near Karratha in Western Australia has formed a bold new plan for its future. We’ve been helping them out.

Building community knowledge and skills is an essential part of conservation. That’s why we were called in by the Ngurrawaana Rangers to run two weeks of training towards Conservation and Land Management Certificate 11.

Over the course of the training the nine rangers, in collaboration with two registered trainers, identified areas within the community where they participated in activities such as operating and maintaining chainsaws, tree felling, operating in remote environments, workplace communications, occupational health and safety processes and prescribed burning.

Senior Ngurrawaana Ranger In-Charge Chet Woodley said “the training was very good and fun and we learnt how to do things properly. My favourite part was talking about it, planning it and doing it and getting to know the two trainers. More of this training in the future would be great to get more skills so we can help manage the community better and communicate better as a team”.

During the prescribed burning unit of the course the Rangers were joined by the Department of Parks and Wildlife staff to learn about basic wildfire awareness. This gave the Rangers the opportunity to practice some safe burning practices in target areas around Ngurrawaana. Ranger Jessica Allen said “I would like to learn more about fires and how to control a fire especially out in the bush living out in the community”.

It was a great two weeks and we’re looking forward to working more with them in the future.