With Torres Strait Regional Authority Chairperson, John Toshie Kris.

I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of Kaiwalagal, on whose land I am writing from and all other traditional owners and elders throughout our region.

New MOU between TSRA and Torres Shire Council

Last Monday was an important day in which a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the TSRA and the Torres Shire Council (TSC).

The MOU signifies a joint commitment to strengthening the working relationship between our two parties to produce positive outcomes for our people.

Under this MOU and as a team, we will work towards progressing our community’s wellbeing and develop economic opportunities for our region.

The TSRA has a goal to achieve a better quality of life and develop an economic base for the people of the Torres Strait and this is another step towards reaching this goal.

I would like to thank the TSC in sharing our vision, and I look forward to working together in this new partnership.

Erosion

The issue of erosion in our communities remains a top priority for the TSRA.

The recent King tides have further reiterated the importance of finding alternative options to address this immense problem which our islands face.

The TSRA is currently working in partnership with a number of agencies to assess possible long term solution options to erosion.

James Cook University (JCU) and Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Torres Strait scientists and researchers, will soon begin work in the region to gather vital information which will assist in formulating appropriate strategies on how we can deal with erosion in our region.

Among their tasks, the team will liaise with communities to identify and prioritise erosion threats, establish the causes of erosion and analyse how we can work with this natural process.

With their study, they will be able to provide real data and solutions that can be used to develop strong cases for funding applications for appropriate works.

This problem that our families face needs all of our help. We all must work together to find an appropriate solution that will assist our island homes over the long term.

CRC Researcher Visit

I would like to inform the community to keep an eye out for CRC Torres Strait researcher, Dr Jane Mellors who is on her first visit for 2006 in the community.

Dr Mellors will be on Horn and Thursday Islands from 5 -9 March taking part in the Clean up Australia Day program and conducting Seagrass-Watch monitoring activities during that week.

Jane is conducting valuable research and activities during her visit and everyone is welcome to participate. If you would like more information, Dr Mellors can be contacted by phone on 0417 076 309.

Congratulations JCU Students

I am proud to hear that four students have graduated from James Cook University’s Thursday Island Campus.

Congratulations to students Ali Drummond, Catherine Parker and Sean Taylor who received their Bachelor of Nursing Science and to Rubina Kimiia, who gained a Bachelor of Education.

It is most pleasing to see students from our region going that one step further and gaining a tertiary degree. It is hard work, particularly for our students who face many challenges whilst studying in a remote setting - but these four graduates have proved that if you are focused and prepared to put in the hard work, your goals are achievable.

I would like to wish these graduates every success as they make their way through their chosen career paths.

Any feedback for my column can be sent to:

Mr. John T. Kris
TSRA Chairperson
PO Box 261
Thursday Island QLD 4875

Alternatively, feedback can be sent to me through the TSRA website via the media contact in the ‘contact us’ segment of the site.  Until my next column, may God bless you all and keep you safe.

John T. Kris
TSRA Chairperson