West Coast SA Listening

In December 2017, a small group representing the LCA RAP Project working party (Neville Otto, Marilyn Wall), SA Lutheran Community Care (Helene Schultz), AbMinSA (Ivan Christian, Everard Noack), visited West Coast SA (Ceduna, Yalata, Koonibba). The farewell of the AbMinSA support worker for Yalata, Robyn Kuchel, provided the opportunity to immerse to some degree into the context of the area and gain an initial appreciation for both the physical and emotional environment of the ‘Church’, and to engage in some introductory conversations, primarily around ‘we are here to listen’ (in particular) to the Indigenous voice.

The itinerary for the 2 days included visiting various communities in the area including Thevenard, Denial Bay, Koonibba, Scotdesco and Yalata meeting with key identities of the area. The forum held in Ceduna on Monday evening 11 December with key personnel including key Aboriginal identities gave opportunity to listen and hear local positives and challenges regarding ministry and related matters.

Our thanks goes to Dean Heyne for his immense help, his wealth of knowledge and insightful experiences shared from the many years he has lived and served in the various communities on the West Coast.