AQIS protects the north

AQIS Aboriginal Weeds Liaison Officer, Neville Gulay Gulay and Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Ray Petherick.

Ray Petherick comes from Wagait Finnisss River and Fog Bay area, Woolungi is Ray's home community. Ray has been the Aboriginal Liaison Officer for the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) as part of the North Australian Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) for three years.

AQIS works to prevent exotic plant and animal diseases, for example Siam weeds, screw worm flies, foot and mouth disease and others, from entering Australia through the North Australian coastline.

“We’re trying to keep these out, if these diseases and weeds come in here they could destroy our cattle industry the environment, tourism, Aboriginal bushtucker—so it’s very important for the whole of Australia,” Ray said.

Ray negotiates with landowners, to access Aboriginal land along the North Territory coastline, for AQIS to carry out it’s surveillance work. When he’s not doing that he’s shooting buffalo from helicopters and helping the AQIS vets to do postmordems and blood collection on feral animals.

AQIS works with around 16 land management and community ranger groups around the north coast of the Northern Territory. Including groups from Timber Creek, Wadeye, Peppimenarti, Daly River, Bulgul, Woolayin, Oenpelli, Maningrida, Raminginning, Croker Island, Goulburn Island, Galuwinku on Elcho Island, Nhulunbuy, Groote Eylandt, Numbulwar, Ngukurr, Borroloola and three communities on the Tiwi Islands.

Ray and AQIS Weeds Aboriginal Liaison Officer Neville Gulay Gulay recently visited the Lianthawirriyarra Sea Rangers, in Borroloola. Ray wanted to meet with the Lianthawirriyarra rangers to discuss their logistical capabilities to undertaken surveillance work in the Gulf of Carpentaria as part of their day-to-day ranger work. The rangers attended an AQIS workshop a couple of years ago.

“We trained them on how to post-mortem feral pigs ands collect blood samples and look for exotic diseases,” Ray said.

“They took us around and Neville was able to collect a few weeds around Macarthur River, from old boat landings. Then they took us down to Manangoora station where the Aboriginal station owners were concerned about feral pigs moving into the area.

"We were able to organise a big training workshop for that area and the Mabunji rangers were instrumental in organising that for us. Now they’re working with landowners and station owners in the Gulf region and they’ll be able to survey that area on AIQS and NAQS behalf and we’re really very happy about that.

"Lianthawirriyarra rangers are really moving ahead very quickly,” Ray said.