Chuula Community

Chuula has a permanent dry season residency of 15 to 25, and a wet season residency of six. This number would be much higher but for the problems of wet season access, and during the dry, limited transport and accommodation. Despite this, on weekends and holidays during the dry season the population is significantly increased, with a flood of school children and their families camping, and on several occasions Chuulangun has accommodated up to 50 people.

Due to its central location visitation is high and an estimated 200 individuals each year 'drop in' on their way to and from communities and towns in the region, in particular Coen and Lockhart River where a number of Kaanju people and our extended families reside. Some may stay for a short visit, while others camp for a day or two. The community at Chuulangun ranges across the age spectrum and include infants, teenagers and the elderly. There are also members of the community who have a disability.

The Early Years

The development of Chuulangun as a vibrant, viable homelands community today is testimony to the commitment and hard work of a core of Kaanju people, young and old, who from the early 1970s struggled for recognition as Kaanju traditional owners and strove to return to homelands on a permanent basis. Our people had to ask permission to access our own traditional lands and in the early 1990s permission was finally granted from the local Community Council to set up a permanent 'outstation'.

In the early years there was very little support from government for 'decentralisation', as they called it, yet our people struggled enthusiastically with minimal resources to rebuild a Kaanju community on homelands. We used resources immediately available to us, including bush timber, and corrugated iron was supplied by a family on a neighbouring cattle station with whom we have close social ties. We constructed open sheds for housing, cooked on open fires, and a pit toilet and bush shower served as ablutions facilities. Power was eventually supplied by diesel-run generator, and communication, although not always reliable, was by two-way radio. Transport was by privately acquired vehicles.

In this early period Chuulangun was occupied for two wet seasons under harsh conditions. On a number of occasions one 'oldfella' had to swim the flooded Wenlock River and walk several kilometres to collect mail and basic supplies from the closest airstrip at Orchid Creek Station. Despite the difficulties experienced during this early period, he and other 'pioneers' of Kaanju homelands development (some of whom have now sadly passed away) recall these early years with great jubilation, enthusiasm and pride.

Infrastructure

From about 1994 to 2002 the following infrastructure was set up at Chuula: three galvanized iron sheds on concrete slabs with bush timber and iron extensions for housing; two kitchens with gas cookers; septic toilets and showers. Water for drinking, kitchen and laundry use, and bathing is pumped from the nearby lagoon to a 5000 litre feeder tank. During this period power was supplied by diesel and petrol run generators.

Some of this infrastructure was acquired via funding from the former Queensland Department of Community Services (now Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy, DATSIP) and more recently from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) via the sub-regional Aboriginal resource and representative body, Coen Regional Aboriginal Corporation (CRAC).

Communications

At the instigation of members of the Chuulangun community in 2000 a permanent telephone was set up for communication and a satellite dish installed for free-to-air television and radio stations. Broadband satellite Internet access was established in September 2002.

These communication facilities and services have been very important to the growth of our community, and to the  Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation which was formed in July 2002. Telephone and Internet access in particular have been integral to our organisation's activities as the majority of transactions have to be done electronically due to our remoteness and the irregularity of postal services.

Vehicle Access and Transport Issues

Access to Chuulangun from the main gazetted road is via two dirt tracks. These roads pass through alluvial flat country that becomes inundated during the wet season rains. Access by 4WD via these tracks is difficult or impossible when there are heavy soaking rains, and when the main gazetted road is open after the wet season these tracks are often still hazardous for vehicles. Much work has to be done to bring them up to standard for all year round use. In the recent past residents at Chuulangun repaired roads by hand. Although this task has been made more efficient with the recent purchase of a 4WD tractor with funding through the Commonwealth Department of Families and Community Services (FACS) Homelands Development Programme.

In previous years the Chuulangun community has relied on private vehicles and those leased with ATSIC 'Wishlist' funding for transport. In the case of the latter in particular, problems have arisen due to the very high demand placed on vehicles and the often excessive running and maintenance costs involved. As these operating costs have not been included in associated funding it has often been left to Chuula residents to cover the cost of repairs. This puts a considerable financial strain on people whose income is often only two days a week CDEP (Community Development Employment Projects) wages.

Planning for Development

Since the reoccupation of our homelands in the late 1980s we have been planning for the sustainable development of our community at Chuulangun and for Kaanju communities on surrounding Kaanju clan estates. A number of reports have been written by and for the Chuula community that examine homelands development planning and funding issues. These include:

• Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation. 2005 Kaanju Homelands Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers Indigenous Protected Area  Management Plan. Unpublished document, Chuula, Cape York.
• Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation. 2003 Kaanju Homelands Land and Resource Management Framework. Unpublished report, Chuula, Cape York.
• Chuula Community. 2002 Chuulangun, Pa'un and Malandaji: Kaanju Homelands Development 2002 and Beyond. Chuula, Cape York.
• Claudie, D. 1999 Wenlock Outstation Development Plan 1999-2000. Chuula, Cape York.

We have also developed a comprehensive Project and Work Programme that sets out in detail homelands projects, budgets, milestones, timeframes as well as possible sources of funding, support and collaboration for implementation of projects. Our current priorities for homelands development are outlined below.

Airstrip and Access

Due to the remoteness of Chuulangun we have struggled for over a decade with problems of access to essential services, particularly during the wet season. In late 1999 pioneer work was done on the Chuulangun airstrip. An area of 1300 metres x 100 metres was cleared, but much work was needed for the airstrip to meet the requirements of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). This early work was made possible by the planning and initiative of Chuula residents and with funding from ATSIC's 'Wishlist' programme. However, there are limited funds available for infrastructure such as airstrips and funding that is forthcoming is often piece-meal.

In early 2002 the Chuulangun community submitted an application to the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS) Regional Solutions Programme for funding to complete the airstrip. However, in late 2002 we were notified that the application was unsuccessful. In early October 2003, Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation redrafted the application and resubmitted it to DOTARS, this time to the Regional Partnerships (RP) Programme. After some feedback from RP we revised the application and obtained further written support for the project, including from the RFDS and neighbouring communities. We also secured an additional funding partner, the Queensland Government's Rural and Remote Airport Development Program (RRADP). We resubmitted our application to RP in early 2005 and it was approved in October 2005.

After considerable planning, coordination and on-ground effort from the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation and the Chuula community, the Chuulangun Airstrip is now constructed to CASA guidelines for aerodromes intended for small aeroplane operations. The project was jointly funded by the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation, the Regional Partnerships Program, and the Queensland Government's RRADP. The completed airstrip means reliability of access for the community all year round to emergency medical attention through the RFDS, the delivery of mail, fresh food supplies, educational materials, and access to air travel via the Remote Air Service Subsidy (RASS) Scheme.

Solar Power

After several years of advocating for funding and support for the development of a solar power system for Chuulangun our hard work has paid off. In December 2004 a Bushlight Household Renewable Energy System was set up for one household at Chuulangun. The system was established under the Bushlight Program and funded through ATSIC. The Chuula Case Study can be viewed on Bushlight's website.

We plan for the installation of a similar system on the second house at Chuulangun in coming years.

Prior to the establishment of the Bushlight System the community at Chuula relied completely on diesel and petrol run generators that were costly due to the fuel consumption and maintenance required.