BUSH FOODS
When she first arrived in the West Australian Kimberley six years ago, Sara Cavalcanti Marques felt a strong a.nity with the region. This vast area of dramatic and relatively undisturbed landscapes, cut by pristine rivers, forms a haven for rare plants and animals. The lush, warm ecosystem with a strong tradition of Indigenous land stewardship reminded her of her birthplace of Belém, at the mouth of the Amazon in northern Brazil.
Initially based in Perth at Murdoch University, the young scientist – who holds a bachelor's degree with honours in terrestrial ecology from São Paulo State University – was so entranced by the West Kimberley that she sought opportunities to work with First Nations people in native food production and land stewardship practices.
She contacted First Nations research institutes in Broome including North Regional (NR) TAFE, which works with Traditional Owners and trains First Nations students in conventional horticultural techniques, such as large-scale irrigation. Almost by chance, Cavalcanti Marques came across Kim Courtenay, one of northern Australia's most experienced horticulturalists, who has spent decades working with First Nations people of the Kimberley. Courtenay has been on the payroll of NR TAFE for 29 years and has long-established links with Traditional Owners and remote communities.
Aside from training, NR TAFE staff help communities establish their own gardens and native food plantations, assist pastoralists with restoring degraded land and provide skills to inmates at rehabilitation institutions such as the West Kimberley Regional Prison. Importantly for Cavalcanti Marques, one of the first initiatives Courtenay launched for NR TAFE was an on-Country learning centre,
