Former AFL player appointed as first Telfer-based ISDO
The appointment of a new Indigenous Sports Development Officer (ISDO) is one of the immediate and exciting outcomes of a major review into the sport and recreation services and opportunities available to Indigenous communities throughout the Western Desert.
11 September 2008
The plan to improve participation and skill levels in a range of sports and recreational pursuits will be enhanced with the appointment of former Collingwood AFL player Tristan Walker as the Department of Sport and Recreation’s (DSR) first ISDO to be based at Newcrest Mining Ltd’s Telfer gold mine.
Telfer’s Community Relations Superintendent Leon van Erp said the decision to base the new ISDO at Telfer, some 450km east of Port Hedland, was expected to deliver more frequent and effective support to participants.
“Geographically, it makes more sense to have an officer based at Telfer rather than only at Newman, where previous ISDOs were located,” Mr van Erp said.
“It is more practical to travel to each of the communities from Telfer as the home base rather than to start those journeys from Newman. “As a result, the people in each of these communities will see the new ISDO more often, and they will reap the benefits.”
Mr van Erp said Tristan would benefit from the extensive support available to him through Telfer’s Community Relations team, which already boasted considerable experience and success in the support it offers to Indigenous people in the region.
“Importantly, we expect Tristan will offer a wealth of experience, skills and stories to share with the people in the communities and their aspiring sports men and women,” Mr van Erp said.
“This is a good example of the strong level of cooperation that has been developed between Newcrest and the Department of Sport and Recreation over several years.”
DSR Manager of Programs Neil Thompson said some difficulty had been experienced over the past couple of years in attracting staff to deliver the Indigenous Sports Program in the Western Desert.
As a result, alternatives for the program’s future delivery in the Western Desert had been explored and this partnership arrangement with Newcrest Mining to deliver the program was found to be the most sustainable solution.
“There are around 30 ISDOs across Australia, but Tristan is the first to do the job on a fly-in-fly-out basis,” Mr Thompson said. “This partnership will also bring stability to the role, which has been very difficult to staff in recent years.”
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