It’s an icy winter’s night in Mparntwe (the Arrernte name for Alice Springs). The desert cold has a way of seeping into your bones and seizing control. Instead of curling up on the couch with a cup of tea and a blanket, a group of local grandmothers are preparing to brave the weather and patrol the city’s dark streets in high-vis jackets. The Strong Grandmothers of the Central Desert group was formed nine years ago to help vulnerable children in the community. The group includes artists, traditional owners, healers, academics and teachers. Many of them are descendants of the Stolen Generations – and all of them are staunch advocates for the children in their community. In April, the group started their night patrol after noticing the number of kids wandering the streets well past their bedtimes.
“We need to keep our kids safe,” says Arrernte elder Sabella Turner, 63, who has 15 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. “I came to the Grand mothers Group after my grandson got caught in the justice system. He was sent to Alice Springs Youth Detention when he was 11 for something he said he didn’t do, while hanging out with a group of older boys. After that, he was in and out of jail for years. There was no support in place for him, or kids like him.”
Every night, there are an estimated 1128 children in the NT who don’t have a safe place to sleep. Issues of overcrowding, domestic violence and substance abuse stem from chronic underfunding of housing and decades after the Intervention in Aboriginal communities, which has displaced people from their Country and broken up families.
This story is from the September 2021 edition of Marie Claire Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2021 edition of Marie Claire Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
WHY WOMEN SHOULDN'T BE DISCOUNTED
Four game-changing women share why they want economic empowerment included in the conversation this International Women’s Day
home HAVEN
Sophie Bell, founder of Peppa Hart, invites us into her calming quarters, writes Samantha Stewart
BEHIND THE SCENES with PETER PHILIPS
An intimate backstage moment with the legendary creative and image director for Dior Makeup
MIAH MADDEN
The Australian actor on her biggest fashion crime, party tricks and the women who have shaped her
TAYLOR SWIFT
As she hits our shores in February, music writer Cameron Adams charts the unbelievable career of the world’s biggest music artist, from her Nashville country music roots to her record-smashing Eras tour
The road to NIRVANA
Editor Georgie Abay lands in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan for the adventure of a lifetime
makes SUN sense
What if we saw a suntan for what it really is: a visible sign that skin has been damaged? Sherine Youssef looks behind the golden facade
RUNWAY to DEBT
Modelling agencies are ecruiting young people who have fled war-torn African countries and are living in extreme poverty. They are flown to Europe to take part n fashion castings, but some return within days or weeks, often laden with debt
CALLUM TURNER
The British actor shares tales from the front line, why you should play your heroes and his love for Free Willy
ALL ABOUT JESS
Chart-topping Australian singer Jessica Mauboy talks love, lonliness and music legend Whitney Houston on the eve of her new release, Yours Forever