Northern Territory aged care centre designed by Yolngu people

ABC NEWS (Australia)

After decades fighting for its creation, a tiny town in the remote Northern Territory finally has its own aged care centre, run and designed with the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land.

Transcript

00:00 Bush Medicine heats on a campfire as a rescue dog walks the grounds.

00:06 This is aged care, North East Arnhem style.

00:09 We're trying to make it like home.

00:11 This is their home, as homely as possible and community, fires, they have their pets.

00:17 That's what we're trying to do here.

00:18 This centre in Nullnbuy in the territories east is more than two decades in the making,

00:24 fought for by Yolngu leaders who wanted to save their elderly the indignity of having

00:28 to spend the end of their lives in city hospitals far away from their kin and country.

00:34 They miss the family, they die over there, and the family over here in East Arnhem land

00:44 they're worried, why?

00:46 Why did they get taken away?

00:49 Finally the elders have their wish, with the Yutjawalla Jawaar Centre, which translates

00:54 as 'little heaven', opening its doors to residents, both Yolngu and Balanda, or non-indigenous

01:00 people from the remote town.

01:02 I'm very happy to be here.

01:05 I'm very happy to be here.

01:08 I'm very happy to be here.

01:11 I'm very happy to be here.

01:14 I'm very happy to be here.

01:17 I'm very happy to be here.

01:20 I'm very happy to be here.

01:25 I'm very happy to be here.

01:28 I'm very happy to be here.

01:30 Designed by and operated with Yolngu, the centre even features a traditional sorry business

01:34 space for Yolngu to properly bid their loved ones farewell.

01:38 So when they pass, they're here, see, in this country, Nolumbuya, where they belong.

01:47 A little piece of heaven and harmony to spend their oldest days together.

01:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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