Earlier this month, our affiliate Key Assets Australia opened a new office in Kununurra in the East Kimberley, a remote region in the north of Western Australia. Key Assets has been working in the region for several years but this is the first time we will have our own office with a shop front and signage, rather than sharing with partner organisations.
Key Assets is well established in the East Kimberley, delivering a small foster care service, and successful prevention of coming into care and reunification services. This is delivered in partnership with the Wunan Foundation, a large Aboriginal organisation, and Ngnowar Aerwah Aboriginal Corporation. All our clients are Aboriginal families. Support workers employed by Wunan are co-located and work as a team with Key Assets Team Manager, Pierre Bush, and social worker, Alana Henderson.
Kununurra is over 3000km by road from Perth but fortunately there are regular flights, enabling WA State Director, Brenda Yelland, and Key Assets Australia Group Business Director, Judith Wilkinson, to join guests for the new office opening. The occasion also gave opportunity to launch the East Kimberley Service Mapping. This has been developed over the past several months in partnership with Binarri Binyja Yarrawoo (BBY), the ‘backbone’ organisation supporting the implementation of Empowered Communities in the region (https://empoweredcommunities.org.au).
The service mapping project worker was Philippa Abbot of &Projects, who devised the mapping methodology. The service map goes well beyond being just another service directory. It is a dynamic artefact which gives greater visibility of service delivery in the East Kimberley across the community’s ‘journey’ — the lived experience of needing and using services. It will also provide greater visibility of all services; anchor these services to community needs and intergenerational value; identify service gaps and where people may fall through the safety net and identify connections and interdependencies between services (and service providers).
It is not easy Working in such a remote region, so far Key Assets main state office, and with a challenging climate – while the dry season is magnificent, the current wet season brings damaging tropical storms, humidity and extreme temperatures. Local people deal with significant adversities – poverty, poor housing, family violence, intergenerational trauma. But the same people can be courageous, and resilient. The local culture of the Mirrawong people is strong. The country is stunningly beautiful. So the rewards are many and Key Asset remains committed to continue to work in partnership with local people and organisations to contribute to making a positive and lasting difference to the lives of children, families and the East Kimberley community.
To learn more about Key Assets Australia, visit https://keyassets.org.au
