Mobile Aboriginal Patrol

Port Augusta, South Australia

The Patrol Minister is based in Port Augusta and the patrol covers an area that includes the Flinders Ranges, the Gammon Ranges and the Lake Eyre Basin . It includes the communities of Hawker, Leigh Creek, Nepabunna, Marree, Cooper Pedy, Iga Warta, Marla and Oodnadatta. There are also Aboriginal owned pastoral stations and Aboriginal employees of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The patrol was established as a pilot project in 1992 between the South Australian Regional Council of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress with Frontier Services' support. The focus of ministry in this patrol is the Aboriginal communities spread throughout the region.

In many of the communities there is much hurt as people struggle to create a future for themselves. At times there is conflict which can turn into fighting. The ministry is about resourcing the communities and people within them, that they may be empowered to make decisions about their future.

The Patrol will be vacant from July 2009 when it is hoped that a suitably trained Indigenous person may take on this role.