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Looking After Country Together: Arabana Ranger Program Prioritises Continuous Learning

2 minute read

The Arabana Ranger program has been going from strength to strength since its establishment in 2020, and the ranger team is dedicated to its mission of managing and protecting Country by building relationships and encouraging Arabana people to spend time on-Country and with the community.

Arabana Rangers, River Murray and Mallee AC Rangers, Tafe SA at Finniss Springs, Arabana Country Sitting: Maisie Brown (TafeSA), Ena Turner and Lucille Sumer (RMMAC Rangers) Standing: Bill Harman (TafeSA), Aamish Warren, Tristan Stuart, Sam Stuart and Stanley Wingfield (Arabana Rangers), Cloe Zielke and Thomas Kurt (RMMAC Rangers)

One of the program's key activities is peer-to-peer learning and sharing, which allows the Arabana Rangers to seek training and development opportunities together.

Recently, they organised a ranger exchange that involved various knowledge sharing activities with several guest organisations. Collaboration and two-way sharing of knowledge is a vital part of strengthening Indigenous land management organisations and rangers.

“I like to see other ranger groups and learn what it is for them to grow and get somewhere, to get that support out there so everyone is together. The best part about it, is that ranger interaction that we are doing now. It’s helping each other out.”

Sam Stuart, Arabana Head Ranger

During this on-Country trip, west of Kati Thanda-Oodnadatta track, Arabana Rangers hosted the River Murray and Mallee AC (RMMAC) Rangers, Friends of the Mound Springs (FOMS), TafeSA and the Indigenous Desert Alliance (IDA). The week-long activities included ranger-to-ranger media work, maintenance of kutha ngarrawa (mound springs), and plant identification for the participants pursuing their Certificate III in Land Management through TafeSA.

“We’ve got a lot of springs around this Country. It’s just beautiful to be out here, I like travelling this Country.”

Stanley Wingfield, Arabana Cultural Liaison Officer
Arabana Cultural Liaison Officer Stanley Wingfield checking Pangki Warrunha - Strangways Springs

The visitors joined the Arabana rangers at Pangki Warrunha - Strangways Springs and Finnis Springs, where they engaged in valuable training sessions focused on looking after threatened ecosystems and included a night of spotlighting for Scorpion among other desert creatures. The rangers shared their extensive knowledge of Arabana Country and enjoyed spending time connecting and learning with the RMMAC ranger team.

“The first few years is a lot of training, I’ve learned how to preserve springs, how to do fencing, I’ve learned animal names and plant names.”

Aamish Warren, Arabana Ranger
Arabana Ranger Aamish Warren identifying plants

Continuous learning and collaboration will remain a priority for the Arabana Rangers through their IDA Ranger Development Program projects that include plans for more media and communication training, and good ways for managing tourism and looking after cultural sites and knowledge.

RMMAC Rangers Ena Turner and Cloe Zielke at Pangki Warrunha (Strangways Springs)
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