Roads, Rates and Rubbish aren’t the only Rs covered at the City of Palmerston. Council is also very keen on the fourth R – Relationships. Building strong relationships with the community underpins all aspects of what Council does. Often these relationships grow into strong partnerships between Council, the Palmerston and wider community.
Library activities
Innovative library services are an example of how Council is building strong bonds with the community. The library’s twice weekly Storytime, and weekly Nurserytime programs give young families an opportunity to spend quality time together, meet other families, and assist with early childhood development. The programs are so successful that the library’s kids area overflows and joyful singing can be heard throughout the Council building.
Kids Action Time (KAT) is a highly popular library outreach program. Services are taken out to local parks and community centres three times a week. Young children are entertained with music, dance, craft and stories, while parents are given the opportunity to catch up with friends, meet new people, and listen to guest speakers.
The library also hosts the energetic Young Adult Program. A keen group of teenagers meet in the library weekly to provide advice on youth interests, learn new skills, such as filmmaking and desktop publishing, and generally lend a hand.
Last year, Council conducted Palmerston @ 9, a consultation with nine year olds on their concerns and hopes for the future. The project resulted in a series of board games that are available in the new library, which opened this month.
Adopt-a-Park
Another of Palmerston’s successes is Adopt-a-Park, which has been running for over ten years. The Adopt-a-Park group holds regular, free community events in parks around Palmerston to encourage a healthy lifestyle, discourage antisocial behaviour, such as vandalism and littering, and generally encourage people to get to know each other. As the name suggests, this award winning program encourages individuals, groups and organisations to adopt local parks. These parks are monitored by the adopters, who regularly keep an eye out for rubbish and damage to park equipment and irrigation. Adopt-a-Park recently introduced Park Watch. Residents living in close proximity to a park get to know each other and keep an eye on each other’s homes.
Safer communities
Another highly regarded community partnership is Palmerston Regional Safe Communities project. Council is aiming to become the Northern Territory’s first World Health Organisation (WHO) designated Safe Community. This fantastic program brings together all tiers of government in the Northern Territory, the community, non government organisations and businesses to look at safety. It addresses all aspects of safety at home, at play, at work and out and about in the community.
Healthy living
The Palmerston community is always looking for new ways to keep active. Palmlesstonnes is a short term program introduced in 2006 to encourage healthy living. Over a 12 week period, 300 people are taking part in regular walks and bike rides, weekly family fun days, trying activities such as ballroom and belly dancing, weekly weigh-ins and blood pressure checks, and weekly motivational and information sessions. Half way through the program, participants have already lost almost 300 kilograms!
Intergovernmental cooperation
In accordance with Council’s proactive approach, Palmerston was the first Northern Territory community to formally sign a partnership agreement with the Northern Territory Government. The partnership looks at key areas within the community such as housing and service provision, community safety, infrastructure and facilities, and increasing employment opportunities within Palmerston.
Two important initiatives, with real benefits for the community, that have come out of the partnership are collaboration on the new Palmerston Library, and construction of a new recreation facility in the city centre.
Both facilities are expected to be extremely popular, and by locating them in the CBD, Council is creating a city heart.
Palmerston Futures
Palmerston currently has one high school. Students in Year 10 have been participating in the Beacon Foundation’s No Dole program, which the community has called Palmerston Futures. The program encourages students to think about their future and commit to further education, vocational training, or employment within three months of finishing Year 10. Year 10 is the legal stage that Northern Territory students are allowed to finish school. Since the first Year 10 students signed up three years ago, the retention rate from Year 10 to Year 11 has increased by 900 per cent!
This year, Beacon will start a youth enterprise, growing and selling native plants, that young people will eventually own themselves.
Celebrating community
Together with the opening celebration of the new Palmerston Library, the Palmerston Festival in June will bring together the community to celebrate the spirit of Palmerston. The festival encourages local businesses, groups and community organisations to participate in making the day inclusive, fun and successful for all involved. It gives local arts and sporting associations the chance to show off their talents through performances and demonstrations.
As a young community with 30 per cent of its population under 15 years of age, Palmerston looks forward to continuing to build strong relationships as it grows old with its community.
Contact details:
Civic Plaza, 2 Chung Wah Tce Palmerston
PO Box 1, Palmerston NT 0831
General phone: (08) 8935 9922
Fax: (08) 8935 9900
Library: (08) 8935 9999
palmerston@palmerston.nt.gov.au
www.palmerston.nt.gov.au
Elected members:
Mayor, Annette Burke; Deputy Mayor, Graeme Chin; Aldermen Ian Abbott, Robert Brennan, Brendan Cabry, Judy Joyce and Robert Macleod.
