Doomadgee pathway creates connections
Alongside a path that now stretches from the local shop to near the edge of the town, the friendships and camaraderie that have built in the Doomadgee ‘Pathways to Employment’ Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) project are also developing into a valuable result.
We visited Doomadgee last month as the trainees were undertaking three heavy machinery tickets with Civil Safety to complement the white cards and construction certification they will gain from Martyr Training during the project. They were keen to tell us how they felt the project was progressing, and what changes it has already brought to their lives.
The small team of trainees, led and mentored by Jeremy Wilson from Doomadgee’s own Gulf Building Services, have constructed an impressive riverside pathway. The completed sections are already being well used by the community, and this use will grow further as the Council continues plantings and the installation of solar lighting along the route.
With just a few weeks left in the project, Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council plans to continue pathway construction, to see it extend all the way to the local weir and also create a second path branching off northwards to the Roadhouse. As a standalone council project, this will continue to be led by Gulf Building Services and there is hope it will continue to employ some of the current workers. This would not only result in ongoing employment for the trainees, but also allow them to keep working with their peers, something that has emerged as a significant strength in this project.
Despite many of the trainees not having existing strong bonds with each other before it began, the team that has been built through the project has been instrumental to its success. By keeping each other motivated (and entertained) through the work, they have managed to achieve this fantastic outcome, despite some trainees having not worked before, and others coming from periods of unemployment.
Skilling Queenslanders for Work projects are an initiative of and proudly funded by the Queensland Government.