Desert Internship: Learning The Right Way

4 minute read

The Indigenous Land Management (ILM) sector needs good people working the right way and supporting rangers to continue leading the way up. As Indigenous ranger programs have grown across the desert, rangers and their organisations have identified the need for more recruitment and training of ranger coordinators to support ranger team development, leadership and operations.

Hamish Morgan

Birriliburu Rangers with Interns

Frankie Corfield Thane

Fire planning at Tjuntjurutjarra

"It’s really good for them to come out and learn about how Martu are working on country, burning country, looking after rockholes, claypans – everything. It’s really important to learn our way. They might become a good coordinator if they sit down good way with us, learn and understand."

J. Morgan, Birriliburu Ranger

This year, the IDA in partnership with Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) and Desert Support Services, piloted an internship program as part of strengthening employment pathways in the ILM sector.

Three interns took part in introductory training on the four main skill areas of a coordinator’s role: intercultural facilitation and communication, practical fieldwork skills, project management, reporting, safety and wellbeing. These skills provided a good foundation for the on-country training led by the Birriliburu ranger team, focused on a joint aerial burning and culture trip with Warnpurru rangers on the eastern side of Birriliburu IPA.

Rangers taught the interns about burning country the right way, looking after plants, animals and cultural sites, as well as explaining how decisions are made for country and how to ensure the right people are involved. But more than this, the internship enabled interns to see the deep connection to, and responsibility for country, that underpins ranger work in the desert.

Hamish Morgan

S. Long, Birriliburu Ranger Coordinator with intern Jo

"The power of listening to elders born on Country speak for Country resonated with me. The ability to listen to Country to care for Country in a deep interconnected fashion was so powerful to see."

Kyah Stephens, Intern

Hamish Morgan

Paul Morgan with interns Jo and Kyah

Built on that deep connection and responsibility for country, interns were inspired by the breadth of work rangers are leading in the desert, not only managing fire, worrying for animals, plants, ensuring good bushfoods and strong cultural sites but also managing tourism, installing infrastructure, managing weeds, building partnerships and working with neighbours.

Jo Chibnal

"I really like it, for them [interns] to see our country, how we live, learn the old ways and listen to the stories and get to know desert people. For them to come and join in with the rangers, experience how to work the right way with us is really important – learning two sides, two-way science and cultural way. That’s a good thing for people to see. Going out on country, burning, seeing the old ways, learning about the plants and animals, and seeing how we run a trip – getting ready, packing for the trip, being out on country, these are good things to learn to be a coordinator. I want to say thank you to them and hopefully we see them again."

S. Long, Birriliburu Ranger Coordinator

"Some of my favourite moments were the mornings and evenings at camp. Everyone was so happy and welcoming, teaching us Martu wangka, cooking up marlu (kangaroo) and kipara (bush turkey), people laughing and singing and just getting to know each other. It was such a beautiful space to be invited into."

Frankie Corfield-Thane, Intern

Kyah Stephens

Frankie Corfield-Thane

Rebecca Anderson at the campfire

The power of the experience was only possible because of the genuine care that the Birriliburu and Warnpuru rangers showed for the learning journey of the interns. The IDA would like to thank the Birriliburu IPA, its rangers and Desert Support Services for hosting the interns and training them up.