Warring Yuendumu families have rostered trade times to avoid violence

Tensions in Yuendumu are so high, members of two warring families are allowed to shop at the local store only within specific windows of time to avoid violent confrontations.

Razor wire on fencing around the art centre in Yuendumu, where tensions are high between two warring families.

Tensions in the remote outback community of Yuendumu are so high that members of two warring families are allowed to shop at the local store only within specific windows of time to avoid violent confrontations.

A notice plastered outside one of the town’s two main shops states that residents of South Camp can shop only before noon, while West Camp dwellers can shop only after 1pm.

“There will be police and STKIC (Southern Tanami Kurdiji Indigenous Corporation) mediators at both stores to ensure that no further trouble occurs at either store,” the sign says.

“Please be respectful of each other.”

The coronial inquest into Kumanjayi Walker’s death last week heard that the Territory Response Group had been deployed from Darwin to Yuendumu just three weeks ago to deal with “issues involving family members”.

“It’s been a little bit cons­tant over the last couple of months,” Remote Sergeant Anne Jolley told the inquest on Thursday.

Sergeant in charge at Yuendumu police station, Anne Jolley.

“We do have a lot of Nyirripi people living at Yuendumu at the moment, due to the unrest.”

A community source said that months of unrest was initially sparked by a romantic rivalry.

“It was a jealous fight,” she said.

“Young girls in their 20s fighting over a man and then it escalated into families fighting as well.”

A Warlpiri woman, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, said she had not been home for months due to the ongoing feud.

“I can’t go back because I’m afraid,” she said. “Of course I’m scared. I don’t want to fight.”

She said houses had been “smashed up” and cars burned.

“Trampoline and swings have been burned,” she said.

“A woman threatened a little six-year-old boy with a knife while he was playing on the trampoline.

“The little boy and an eight-year-old girl don’t want to go to school because they’re traumatised. They’re frightened.”

This comes after The Austral­ian last week revealed former AFL player Liam Jurrah was in custody after allegedly breaking into a house and assaulting a woman with a machete at Yuendumu.

Jurrah, 33, was last month char­ged with unlawful entry with in­tent to commit an offence and agg­ravated assault in relation to the August 2 incident in his hometown. The former Melbourne forward was refused bail when he appeared in Alice Springs Local Court on August 30. He was remanded in custody until his next court mention on October 13.

The Australian understands that Jurrah’s alleged offences were related to the inter-family feud.

“His family is related to one of the girls (who were fighting over a man),” a source said.

Police have increased their presence in the face of escalating property destruction and violence.

Meanwhile, further north in the remote Aboriginal community of Peppimenarti, a 36-year-old man was shot and killed by a crossbow on Tuesday night amid ongoing unrest.

The man, who was struck in the chest with an arrow, was taken to the clinic where he was declared deceased. An 18-year-old man was charged with manslaughter and remanded in custody after appearing in Darwin Local Court on Thursday.

On Friday, NT police also charged a 22-year-old man with one count of recklessly endangering life in relation to the death.

He was remanded to appear in Darwin Local Court on Monday.

The shooting was believed to be connected to ongoing disputes between families in the region, which were also the cause of violent unrest in neighbouring Wadeye.

The unrest in Yuendumu is unrelated to the coronial inquest under way into the death of Walker, who was fatally shot by police at Yuendumu in 2019.

In fact, the “state of high conflict” derailed plans to hold the first few days of the inquest – which started on September 5 – at the troubled community.

The inquest into Walker’s death, being held in Alice Springs, will resume on Monday.

Senior Constable Lanyon Smith is expected to complete his evidence before the next witness, Senior Constable First Class Christopher Hand, is called.