2008 Chairs Column

TSRA News Column

December 2008
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.

Elected Representatives Forum
From 6 to 7 November, an Elected Representatives Forum was held on Thursday Island involving Board Members, Mayors and Councillors from the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA), the Torres Shire Council (TSC), the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC) and the Torres Strait Islands Regional Council (TSIRC).

The Forum focused on the information received from recent community engagement processes to determine long term goals for the region.

A significant outcome from the Forum was the commitment by the region's leaders and their agencies to work toward one unified vision, "Empowering our people, in our decision, in our culture, for our future."

Ten regional goals were also agreed to which will provide the parties with a common direction and focus on areas such as Art, Culture and Heritage; Environmental Management; Economic Development; Communities; Governance & Leadership; Social Services; Public Health; Housing; Early Childhood; and Schooling.

Agreeing on a vision and goals statement was a huge leap towards establishing a regional partnership and making sure that all levels of government work together to build a strong future for our region.

Following this agreement, it was also decided at the Forum that the next step will be to prepare an integrated regional plan for the Torres Strait and NPA that specifies how different levels of government can contribute to the goals.

I was very inspired by the involvement of the Mayors and elected community representatives and the enthusiasm shown to create a new pathway forward for our people.

I congratulate all participants for their contribution and unified commitment to work in partnership for the benefit of the region. I would also like to convey my appreciation to the staff of all participating agencies, including the Queensland Government's Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships who assisted to coordinate the event, and as well as constituents for their involvement in the initial stage of the planning process.

Comcaac of Mexico Visit Torres Strait
As you may recall from an earlier column, at the beginning of this year, three Torres Strait Islanders - TSRA's Land and Sea Management Unit's (LSMU) Senior Natural Resource Officer (Sea) Mr Frank Loban, Erub Island's Dugong and Turtle Community Project Officer Mr Kenny Bedford, and Hammond Island Ranger Mr Stephen Ambar - attended the 2008 'Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation' in Loreto, Mexico.

The event was an opportunity to learn as well as share information about sea turtles and involved over 1000 scientists, conservationists and Indigenous land and sea managers from 60 nations.

During the visit, the Torres Strait delegation extended an invitation to their hosts, the Traditional Owners from the Comcaac Nation of Mexico, to visit our region to see first hand the work being done to sustainably manage our turtle population. As a result, from 6 to 10 November, three Comcaac visited the Torres Strait.

The visitors met with both TSRA and local government representatives as well as Traditional Owners of the areas they visited. They toured the Friday Island Pearl Farm, Gab Titui Cultural Centre, Hammond and the Mer Islands. A highlight of the tour was an evening spent on Dowar Island, where the visitors watched Mer's Dugong & Turtle Project Officer and community members play their role in monitoring their turtle population through turtle tagging.

I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the Councillors, respective Traditional Owners, communities, members of the Turtle and Dugong Project, TSRA, the North Australian Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) and Hammond Island Ranger Mr Stephen Ambar, who worked together to make this visit possible. I wish to extend a thank you to Mer community, who welcomed and hosted the Comcaac for a night. The visit was a valuable information sharing exercise to help both the Torres Strait and the Comcaac care for our turtles.

Congratulations Charlie Kaddy
TSRA's Acting Policy Manager, Mr Charlie Kaddy, was one of 33 participants of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation's Leadership Program who commemorated the completion of their course at a graduation ceremony on 14 November 2008 in Canberra.

The Australian Rural Foundation's Leadership Program aims to develop personal awareness and leadership skills; enhance understanding of national and international issues which impact on rural and regional Australia; provide opportunities to interact with a wide range of leaders in industry Government and the community; and provide the opportunity to become part of a network of graduates who assist each other in the process of building, maintaining and strengthening communities in rural and regional Australia.

Through TSRA's internal Leadership Strategy, Charlie was supported throughout his 18 month course of study which not only included learning various leadership and management subjects but also involved intense physical and team building challenges which saw him trek the Kimberley of Western Australia, study social topics in Hobart, Sydney and Adelaide, as well being part of an international delegation to India.

I would like to congratulate Charlie on becoming a graduate of this Program. He has become the third participant from the Torres Strait to complete this course, with the other two graduates being the TSRA's Deputy Chairperson, Ms Napcia Bin Tahal, and myself.

Seasons Greetings
As 2008 draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all stakeholders who worked in partnership with the TSRA to progress social, cultural and economic outcomes for our region this past year.

In particular I would like to esso our Elders, the Torres Strait Islands Regional Council (TSIRC), the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC), the Torres Shire Council, Traditional Owners, Prescribed Bodies Corporate, the Community Fisher Group, community members and organisations as well as other partner agencies. I also wish to thank the General Manager and staff of the TSRA, who worked tirelessly throughout the last 12 months.

2008 was a year of change, the State Government's amalgamation of community councils saw the establishment of two new councils, the TSIRC and NPARC, and the closing of the Island Coordinating Council along with individual community councils in March. It also saw a new TSRA Board come into effect in June.

Looking ahead to 2009, our region will not be immune to the significant international and national challenges unfolding, but I am confident if we all work together through our vision to "Empower our people, in our decision, in our culture, for our future," we can meet those challenges head on and prosper in the new year.

Seasons greetings to you all - Kamai esso, au esso au, thank you and God bless.


Any feedback on this column can be sent to:

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

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