Treaty village programme sees 59 rangers graduate

THE building resilience in treaty villages (BRTV) programme, supported by the PNG-Australian partnership, graduated 59 community rangers from South Fly district in Western recently.
Among them were 22 women.
Speaking at the ceremony on Monday, Australian High Commissioner Bruce Davis said South Fly district and northern Australia shared a long history of social, cultural and economic connections, formalised through the Torres Strait Treaty which came into effect in 1985.
“It is through these ties that we are supporting a community ranger model for the 13 treaty villages in this remote area, which is based on an indigenous Australian model operating in the Torres Strait Islands,” he said.
Davis said there was no separation of roles for male and female rangers, regardless of traditional cultural norms.
Female rangers are treated equally throughout the training and learn the same skills as men, such as small boat handling, safety and maintenance.
The BRTV is managed by the Cairns-based Reef and Rainforest Research Centre which aims to build the resilience of the South Fly’s 13 coastal villages by training community rangers in food security, construction, sanitation, first aid and leadership.
Following intensive training, the rangers are able to use their new skills to support the delivery of basic services, while also becoming role models and future leaders in their communities.”