Council News - April 2007Shire of Derby/West Kimberley gives e-waste new chance at life26th April 2007 Shire of Derby/West Kimberley is proud to be providing residents with a practical way to reduce the amount of e-waste that ends up in local landfills. Australia Post, Officeworks, Harvey Norman, Tandy, Dick Smith Electronics & Powerhouse are some of the 2,300 retailers nationwide serving as drop-off locations for the ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ recycling initiative. The stores hope to improve on their printer cartridge recycling rates by encouraging people in the area to make use of the free service. “By having a ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ box stationed at the post office and Shire office, everyone can recycle their used ink, laser, fax and photocopier cartridges, says Dimity Hargrave, Environmental Health Officer. “All of the cartridges dropped off here are sent to a zero-waste-to-landfill facility, meaning not one component of any cartridge sent for recycling ends up in landfill.” “Over 4 million printer cartridges have been diverted from landfill since the campaign began,” says Daniela Santucci, Planet Ark’s Recycling Manager. “This is thanks to the Australian public, program sponsors including Lexmark, HP and Brother and Planet Ark’s recycling partner Close the Loop®. We certainly hope to see more Shire of Derby/West Kimberley residents participating in the program this year. “It’s important to make the effort because the plastics and metals that cartridges are made out of don’t break down. What’s more, toner dust can contain chemicals that are potentially hazardous to the environment if they leach from landfill into waterways and ground water.” For more information about recycling printer cartridges and other materials, visit RecyclingNearYou.com.au or call the 'Cartridges 4 Planet Ark' Hotline on
1800 24 24 73. For more information, please contact:
Dimity Hargrave | Shire of Derby/West Kimberley | (08) 9191 0999 or
Planet Ark: p. 02 8484 7200 | e. pr@planetark.com
$93 MILLION PRISON FOR DERBY24th April 2007 Shire of Derby/West Kimberley President Elsia Archer has welcomed the State Government’s announcement that Derby will be home to a new state-of-the-art prison. Corrective Services Minister Margaret Quirk visited Derby on April 24 to make the long-awaited announcement that a $93 million prison would be built in Derby. The new facility will have a design capacity of 150 beds, 84 more than Broome prison, and is expected to be operational in 2011. Councillor Archer said the council had lobbied hard to have the new prison built in Derby and was excited that it was now a reality. “The Shire of Derby/West Kimberley would like to thank Minister Quirk and the State Government for this opportunity which is something we have been pursuing for several years,” Cr Archer said. “The prison will bring significant economic benefits to Derby, as well as increased local employment opportunities. “We have already had discussions with TAFEWA to start the delivery of courses so locals can be trained by the time the prison is open.” Minister Quirk said the prison would bring custodial services in the Kimberley into the 21st century and would deliver dramatic improvements in working and living conditions for both staff and prisoners. “The Derby prison will be planned and designed by the State Government, in close consultation with the Kimberley Aboriginal Reference Group and other key stakeholders, to ensure it meets the specific and unique needs of WA’s far north,” Ms Quirk said. “The prison will be purpose-built to cater for men and women, as well as all security classifications. “As a result, more offenders will be able to serve their sentences close to family, which greatly improves their chances of rehabilitation.” The Minister said modern security technology would be incorporated into the design, with community safety the number one priority. Ms Quirk said Derby had been chosen as the site for the new prison following strong support from the Shire of Derby-West Kimberley and discussions with community stakeholder groups. She said the next stage of the process was the identification of a suitable location. “That work will be carried out by the Departments of Planning and Infrastructure and Corrective Services in consultation with local authorities and stakeholder groups,” she said. “The new Derby prison will be designed to provide an environment in which prisoners can develop meaningful skills and address their offending behaviours. “The aim is to reduce re-offending, thereby reducing imprisonment rates and creating a safer Kimberley.” While in Derby, the Minister also announced that a new $10.8million prisoner work camp was being planned for the region. $11.2million was also being spent on upgrades to the existing Broome prison which will remain in operation as a correctional facility, even after the Derby prison opens.
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For more information contact:
Elsia Archer
Shire President
0428 911 161
Significant and Valuable Wandjina Art Discovered5th April 2007 The Shire of Derby/West Kimberley is celebrating the discovery of rare and valuable Wandjina art among its extensive art collection. Shire staff have uncovered two significant paintings on masonite by Mowanjum artist Charlie Numbelmoore (dec.) from the late 1960s which have been valued at $80,000 each by art auction house Sotheby’s. The paintings have been in storage at the Derby Public Library for several decades and were originally obtained by the Shire through the acquisitive Kimberley Art Prize, which celebrates its 37th year in July 2007. Without realizing their value, staff chose the two Numblemoore pieces, along with other paintings from the Shire’s extensive collection, to be displayed at the Curtin Airport to celebrate the launch of the Perth-Derby OzJet service. Local artist and Mowanjum Art Centre manager Mark Norval saw the paintings at the airport and immediately alerted the Shire to the significance of the works. “The discovery has created a lot of excitement at the Shire and we are proud to own such a significant piece of Australia’s artistic heritage,” Shire President Elsia Archer said. Cr Archer said the public would get their first chance to view the rare paintings, which had since been removed from the airport, at Linneys of Broome this month. “I am pleased to announce that through a joint agreement between the Shire, Linneys of Broome, and the Broome 6 Gallery, the paintings will be exhibited publicly as part of the Broome Arts and Music Foundation Festival,” she said. Broome 6 Gallery Director Chris Maher said he believed these works “would be the most spiritually significant paintings exhibited anywhere in Australia” and expected great interest from the arts community. The Numbelmoores are part of the first and very early wave of commercial Wandjina art that was produced at Mowanjum by the likes of Numbelmoore, Alec Mingelamanganu, Albert Barunga, David Mowaljarlai, Alan Mungulu, Wattie Karrawarra, Wattie Ngerdu, Jack Wheera and Sam Woolagoodja, all since deceased. The discovery of the lost treasures coincides with the near completion of the $4.5 million Mowanjum Arts Centre located in the Shire of Derby/West Kimberley and a renaissance of Wandjina art driven by artists such as Sam Woolagoodja’s son Donny, whose installation of the Wandjina Namarali was seen by 1.3 billion people as part of the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony. The Wandjina art tradition has been dated at around 15,000 years old, making it arguably the oldest unbroken religious art tradition in the world. Mark Norval said he believed the works could be worth even more than the Sotheby’s conservative estimate as a piece by Numbelmoore was sold in 2006 for more than $200,000. Other pieces by the same artist had realised over $300,000 in auctions in 2003 and 2004. The Numbelmoore masterpieces are currently being framed by a leading Kimberley archival framing service and will be exhibited at Linneys of Broome from April 12 to April 28. An exhibition of current Wandjina art from Mowanjum will be simultaneously exhibited at the Broome 6 Gallery. The Numbelmoores will also be exhibited at the Kimberley Art Prize located in Derby from July 14 to July 20. Bill Reed, Managing Director of Linneys, Broome’s most exclusive pearl showroom, said he was delighted to have the opportunity to showcase these significant paintings of raw beauty amongst the natural beauty of pearls.
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Contacts:
Chris Maher
Director Broome 6 Gallery
08 9192 6821
0418 905 244 Elsia Archer
Shire President Shire of Derby/West Kimberley
0428 911 161 John Pearson
Chief Executive Officer, Shire of Derby West Kimberley
9191 0999 Bill Reed
Managing Director Linneys
9192 2430 Mark Norval
Artist / Past Manager Mowanjum Arts Centre
0429 086 996
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