The closure and rehabilitation of Australia's most famous diamond mine is being seen as an opportunity for traditional owners to reconnect with country and grow an exciting new business venture in the remote East Kimberley.Gelganyem has started propagation trials and hopes to grow its businessThe iconic Argyle mine, 3,000 kilometres north of Perth, was a production powerhouse for almost four decades, producing more than 90 per cent of the world's supply of pink diamonds.
The former Kimberley tour guide recalled the dreamtime story as he walked through the Argyle mine lease with the Gelganyem seed team, delicately bending branches of Bauhinia trees, shaking its fruit into a bucket. "We talk about it when we go back into town, yarn about it with the kids. Get them interested while they're young so they have a job opportunity in the future."It is a proud moment for the Gija man who is working alongside his brother Ronald McHale, a supervisor on the project."The guys we got together at the moment are amazing. You show them a tree, you show them a seed, they'll just get stuck into the work.
"It's very important work, it teaches us young people to be more responsible for the country," he said."Hopefully it encourages everyone to go back out on country."to turn seed into nursery stock which they hope to start planting on-site early next year. "At this moment in time it's about traditional owners repairing their country and giving someone a job pathway for the next couple of years," he said."But beyond that it's about building a sustainable business model which allows TOs to work for the future, not just for them but for their kids and their kids as well.
Mining is therefore good!