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Garma Festival,
Friday 7 to Tuesday 11 August 2009
[DAY 1] [DAY 2] [DAY 3] [DAY 4] [DAY 5]
Day 1 , Friday 7 August
 The launch of a traditional Yolngu lipa lipa – a dugout canoe – at Yirrkala on the Arafura coast of Arnhem Land was one highlight of the first day of the 11th Garma Festival of Traditional Culture today. It was part of a twin event that included the launch of Australia’s first Indigenous surf lifesaving club.
Galarrwuy Yunupingu, Chairman of the Yothu Yindi Foundation, welcomed participants to the Festival in the afternoon at Gulkula, south of Nhulunbuy, Northeast Arnhem Land. He said the festival was a great opportunity “to share learning across cultures” and encouraged everyone – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – to participate.
 Jenny Macklin, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs officially opened the festival. It was her second visit and she said Garma had become “special to thousands of Australians”.
Garma has become internationally recognised as Australia’s premier Indigenous cultural exchange and the traditional bunggul,a moving display of traditional music and dance from all over Arnhem Land, followed.
This year the theme of Garma’s key forum is Indigenous Creative Industries: opportunities, culture and knowledge. There is also a youth forum, multi-media and contemporary music training programs, art displays, a Sorry exhibition, a cultural tourism program and daily live performances.
First Indigenous surf life saving club
A large crowd of Garma Festival participants, indigenous families and tourists went to Shady Beach for the ground-breaking launch of Walngawu Djakamirri Surf Lifesaving Club, the first Indigenous community SLS club in Australia. (Walngawu Djakamirri means Saving Lives in Yolngu matha.)
The Surf Life Saving Club emerged from the Yirrkala Indigenous water safety pilot program (delivered in 2007 by SLS NT) principally involving the Yirrkala Community Education Centre and the Laynhapuy Homelands School (funded by FaHCSIA).
 Funding was originally sought because locals taking children surfing or swimming were concerned about a lack of safety, and generally about the over-representation of Indigenous people in drowning and water injuries. It targeted the largest risk group, 15-19 year olds, but also engaged age groups with similar high-risk profiles.
The program delivered accredited (under Year 12 VET) education. Eight students completed Bronze Medallion courses and another 10 received their reserve certificates.
Other aims included improved levels of health and fitness (along with the social benefits of sports participation) and encouraging youth to embrace the concept of volunteering and community service. The pilot program introduced the youngsters to a wide range of aquatic and beach sports, such as board and surf-ski paddling, surfboat rowing, iron man races, beach relays and beach flags, as well as introducing a lifesaving service at local beaches.
Aided by Tony Snelling, former Australian Surf Life Saver of the Year now based in Darwin, the community obtained a grant from Surf Life Saving Australia for training and equipment.
“The program has resulted in the formation of the Walngawu Djakamirri Surf Life Saving Club. This outcome was not anticipated in such a short time but was driven by the enthusiasm of local youth, school teachers and community members,” Tony Snelling said.
The club hopes to compete in the NT Surf Life Saving titles in September (other NT clubs are Mindil Beach, Nhulunbuy, Darwin).
 “This is making history. They can probably swim, but this will help them save family members, for example. It’s about a sense of responsibility. It’s something they’ll do regularly, and it’s healthy,” the first president, Timmy Djawa Burarrwangga, said.
“It’s taken us about five years to organise this.”
“I’ve started already. I go out every afternoon,” said Dwayne Watson, 14.
“When we do the training we work together, there’s usually a team of about five of us. We learn first aid as well. I’m also learning how to dive, that’s interesting.”
Sharon Gurruwiwi and her friends said, “This beach is our responsibility. We come down and look after it. Like, for Garma, make sure there isn’t rubbish left behind.”
“We have to learn first aid, resuscitation. We’ve got a first aid kit. Everyone does the same thing, boys and girls do the same.”
The Wellbeing Program lipa-lipa project
The launch of the small dugout vessel or lipa-lipa, complete with its symbolically-coloured red, yellow and black sail, marked the culmination of a Wellbeing project that is part of the Yothu Yindi Foundation’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Education, Rehabilitation and Diversionary Program. The program also includes a weekly community cultural night at Ski Beach.
These have been highly successful, with up to 150 people attending from Ski Beach and other nearby communities. The Alcohol and Substance Abuse ERD program is an integral part of the Foundation’s Wellbeing Project.
The Wellbeing program has already had a dramatic effect in lowering the rate of suicide attempts in the Yirrkala community. It has only been in full swing this year, but from a very high incidence of suicides and attempted suicides last year at Ski Beach, the number has dropped.
YYF has brought together many local organisations and agencies to work co-operatively to combat Alcohol and Substance Abuse in the community.
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