This page is in the process of being updated – thanks for your patience.

Current Community Projects in Kowanyama

Community & Church Park Improvement Project

Creating spaces for connection is vital, particularly in socially disadvantaged and isolated communities like Kowanyama, where there are limited communal gathering areas. Providing places where families and groups can meet, connect, and relax supports the well-being of those facing hardships.

With input from the local community and church members, this project has been developed using grant funds, donations, and significant volunteer labour from our dedicated members over the years.

The church area is more than just a place of worship—it serves as a hub for numerous community activities, including programs for children, cultural workshops, arts events, funerals, weddings, christenings, and other gatherings. Recognising the importance of this space, we have undertaken various improvements, such as:

• Building a fence around the park to keep out bulls and horses.
• Repairing and painting the toilet block and later completely rebuilding it after the old structure deteriorated.
• Planting trees with irrigation to create shaded areas for future generations.
• Constructing a public BBQ area with a picnic table and coin-operated BBQ for all community members to use.
• Erecting a traditional shelter, initially led by local men and later expanded with additional shaded areas, picnic tables, and a fire pit.
• Completing multiple fence repairs over the years due to damage caused by animals.
• Constructing basic volunteer accommodation, which has also been useful for a community development worker assisting local women who used to be one of our OtK workers and is doing amazing long term work in the community.

Through these enhancements, the park has become a well-used and much-loved meeting place that continues to serve as an essential part of the community’s social and cultural life.

Konnecting Kowanyama VC Project

Access to technology can be a game-changer in remote communities. To help bridge the gap, we installed videoconferencing equipment in the church to facilitate education, remote participation in funerals (especially for boarding school students who would otherwise miss school), and other community events.

This was made possible through generous donations from JCU, our fundraising efforts, and the dedicated volunteer labour of our members, Joel and Ron.

We continue to provide training for locals and various community groups to ensure they can make full use of this valuable resource. Additionally, we fund the internet access required to keep the system operational.

Any contributions to help maintain and expand this initiative are greatly appreciated. You can support our work by donating at www.passingthrough.net/donating.

---

Our Ongoing Work with the Community Garden

While we now spend less time in Kowanyama, the Community Demonstration Vegetable Garden continues to serve as a valuable resource for the community. Today, various local organisations utilise the space to support employment, training, and health promotion efforts.

Current and past activities include:

• NDIS provider Ulaunch using the garden for training and part-time employment opportunities.
• Justice Group engaging community service participants in gardening projects.
• Kowanyama State School incorporating the garden into cooking and educational programs.
• Apunipima Cape York Health Council utilising produce for health promotion initiatives.
• Jimmy Little Foundation filming health education videos in the garden.
• RISE local workers propagating hardy, nutritious plants to be distributed and planted around the community.

Additionally, school groups have access to dedicated garden beds for their own vegetable gardening projects, and locals can visit to collect cuttings and seedlings to start their own home gardens.

The other section of the garden land is home to the Council/Rangers Office Greenhouse, where the Cultural Centre, Rangers, and RISE garden workers propagate local bush tucker and medicinal plants. We supported this by providing automatic irrigation systems and sharing a portion of the greenhouse for plant propagation.

Our commitment to sustainable gardening and nutrition education remains strong, even as our primary focus shifts to other initiatives. The legacy of the garden lives on through the community’s ongoing engagement, and we are excited to see its continued growth and impact in Kowanyama.