AFL champions look to help with Santa Teresa ‘dustbowl’

Grassing the Santa Teresa oval would be an “absolute God-send” according to Ltyentye Apurte Cathloc School principal Deb Madgsen.

Youngsters kicking up the dirt of the Santa Teresa oval by playing football on it. Picture: SUPPLIED

Grassing the Santa Teresa oval would be an “absolute God-send” according to Ltyentye Apurte Cathloc School principal Deb Madgsen.

It is coming through Demons and Saints working together in a bid to have the oval turfed and ready to play on in 2020.

The Demons in this case are the Melbourne Football Club.

It has been working with Atyenhenge Athere Aboriginal Corporation, the management company of Santa Teresa, to facilitate the project.

Melbourne IT manager Jimmie Martin, who sits on the club’s Reconciliation Action Planning committee, said the club was keen to be involved in the region.

“We have been working of the project to grass the oval for a good couple of year,” he said.

“The club funded a feasability study in 2017 and a grant application and project overview brochure.

“”We are also looking to have supporters of this club with Indigenous interests to help sponsor the grassing of the oval and its ongoing maintenance.”

Ms Madgsen said it would be fantastic if the oval resurfacing gets done

“The dust from it the other day ws so bad we had to stop the kids from going outside,” she said.

“The kids don’t play on it at all these days as the it is too hard,”

AAAC chief executive officer Low said the project was at the grant application stage.

She said with a grassed oval Santa Teresa would become a regional sports hub of Alice Springs and the Central Desert.

There would also be benefits for the community.

“The current oval is a clayey red sand loam that limits thee use and potential of the space,” Ms Low said.

“The school would like to use the oval every day but the dust is hazardous to children and has been anecdotally linked to the increasing incidence of eye disease in Santa Teresa children.

“Women will not train on the oval given the surface.

“The new surface will allow us to build the skills and fitness of local women, addressing many poor lifestyle health conditions such as obesity and diabetes.”

Mr Martin said once the Santa Teresa project was completed it would be a blueprint for other communities in the region.