"I resigned with three months notice not knowing what was going to come
along and Skills Across World filled in the gap almost to the day."
"When the suggestion to come to the Cape was put forward, it was not a
decision that had to be made, it was a matter of how quickly we could get up there."
And so Ian, his now pregnant wife Christine and their two lively daughters
Shaniah, 5, and Keely, 2, set on what is fast becoming a learning experience of
a lifetime.
Initially riled by fears for his young family's safety in the unfamiliar surrounds
of a remote community, once acquainted with life in the Cape Ian's reservations
waned. Skilled locals have shared their age-old bush secrets and he is now convinced
that ignorance, rather than practicality, breeds fear.
"I did have concerns about my family's safety, but the locals here tell
you exactly how to be careful of the dangers of the bush," he said.
Working alongside the 'Walker Women' who have established a modest tourism
business specialising in walking tours, Ian is passing on his industry knowledge
in water treatment and building with members of the community to develop a shelter,
toilet block and wharf. This simple infrastructure that most Australians have
taken for granted for many decades will provide the Walker Women with the potential
to increase the capacity of their tours into quite a successful enterprise, whilst
generating a boost to tourism in the Cape. In anticipation of the business' expansion,
Christine is sharing her strong accountancy skills to Kath Walker of the 'Walker
Women' and has introduced a new accounting software package that will help relieve
some of the pressures on time and resources spurred by the growth.
The 'Walker Women' project is a collaboration of skills, funding and resources
from the Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation, Indigenous Enterprise Partnership,
Walker Women and Dusseldorp Skills Forum in a bid to create a 'real' economy in
Cape York.
And all the while Ian and his family are being exposed to a life far beyond
the realms of their comfortable city existence.
"Life in the Cape in brilliant, weather has been perfect and we have managed
to leave camp (a caravan under the Walker's carport) most weekends and travel
down to Cooktown and Endeavour Falls," says Ian.
"We have found a liking to the sounds of waterfalls."
Having only been at the project for just over a month, Ian, Christine and the
girls have had no qualms about exploring this newfound adoration.
"We've seen the Isabella Falls, Endeavour Falls, Trevathen Falls, Annan
George Falls, and close by the Bloomfield Falls which the Walker girls use on
their tour - it has a spiritual attachment to the indigenous community in Wujal
Wujal."
The Urgarte family's passion for waterfalls seems to be well akin to their
experience of the Cape.
"Hopefully circumstances in the near future will allow us to come back
and experience the SAW initiative in the Cape once more," Ian said.
