25 September 2020
After wet-season delays and travelling nearly 4000km to its new home, a surplus 20-foot shipping container arrived in south-east Arnhem Land in July.
Sydney-based 8 Brigade (Training) donated the container, which was originally planned for disposal, to the Wuyagiba Study Hub to be used as a lockable store for supplies and kitchen equipment.
Wuyagiba Elder Kevin Rogers welcomed the solution for the remote community.
“I have held my breath so many times waiting for this little container,” Mr Rogers said.
Partnered with Macquarie University, the regional study hub is a pathway program delivering traditional and western learning in remote communities to prepare students for university.
“[It has gone] from something that had reached its used-by date in the city to being repurposed and appreciated as a secure annex for the outdoor kitchen at the bush university,” Mr Rogers said.
Sergeant Dan Tucker volunteered to be involved in the project and is 8 Brigade’s Indigenous Liaison Officer.
“I was invited to numerous orations and workshops,” Sergeant Tucker said.
“The information and stories and welcomes I received set me up for success.”
Through Walanga Muru, the Indigenous community at Macquarie University, 8 Brigade learned of the Wuyagiba Regional Study Hub and its need for a container.
The School of Military Engineering was at Dundas Barracks to lift the container for civilian trucking companies to take it north.
