Each year EON brings our geographically dispersed team together for several days of ‘Operations Planning’. These get-togethers provide an opportunity for professional development sessions, future planning and team building – all vitally important with our amazing staff working independently in very remote and challenging conditions.
This year the restrictions on interstate travel due to COVID-19 threw a ‘spanner in the works’, and our WA team and NT team each held their own sessions, in Broome and Katherine respectively.
The Broome gathering saw WA Project Managers and Community Assistants come together to discuss the organisation’s long-term goals and engage in practical training, with participants travelling from as far as Yalgoo, Marble Bar, South Hedland, Yakanarra and Yiyili.
Highlights included participating in discussions regarding EON’s goals to increase Aboriginal employment and training; learning techniques to build trust and engagement with children who may be experiencing trauma and an engaging session on growing native plants, delivered by Phil Docherty from the Society for Kimberley Indigenous Plants and Animals.
In the style of a pub crawl (minus the beer!) the team also visited the PCYC community garden, the Broome Circle verge garden, and a private edible garden.
The NT team’s meeting was attended by the Project Managers, Trainee Project Managers, and Community Assistants from the Big Rivers Region and Groote Eylandt.
Highlights included Rosalea Cameron from the NT Department of Education providing an informative session on how EON can enrich content teachers are covering in the Australian school curriculum, and a practical workshop from dietitian Michelle Allen of Sunrise Health Service Aboriginal Corporation, demonstrating a range of activities that help convey the importance of healthy eating.
A welcoming smoking ceremony preceded the teams’ enjoyable visit to the Banatjarl Bush Medicine and Bush Tucker Garden (pictured above). This was followed by a tour of the Food Ladder premises in Katherine and an interesting discussion on greenhouse management.
Thanks to Jenny Hurse, EON’s National and NT Operations Manager and Eliza Wood, EON’s WA Operations Manager for each organising and delivering yet another great ‘Ops Planning’ session to inform and inspire their respective teams. Fingers crossed we will all be in the same location for the next one!
