Food and water security are major areas of concern for the Walgett community, and the Dharriwaa Elders Group and the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) have been working to improve access to fresh food and safe drinking water in Walgett for many years. In 2018, DEG requested UNSW’s assistance with the testing of Walgett drinking water, after community concerns about its quality since the local Shire Council switched the town water source from the river to bore water due to the drought. Tests by Assoc. Professor Martin Andersen of the UNSW Global Water Institute confirmed that the Walgett drinking water was high in sodium. Professor Jacqui Webster from the George Institute for Global Health advised that this is of particular concern for people living with chronic disease. Subsequent advocacy by the Dharriwaa Elders Group saw significant media coverage on this issue, leading to the NSW Government committing to installing reverse osmosis systems to remove salt from Walgett as well as Bourke’s drinking water. The problems with drinking water quality were exacerbated when critical infrastructure failed, and people in Walgett were left without water to drink or operate air conditioning in the middle of summer. In 2019, Yuwaya Ngarra-li held a Food Forum at Walgett high school. The aims of the Food Forum were to:

Provide data and research about what is known about food issues relevant to Aboriginal people in Walgett and impacts on long-term health and wellbeing
Gather community members and critical services, organisations, and other stakeholders together to discuss food issues in Walgett
Facilitate a public forum that is action oriented and focused on positive strategies and evidence-based solutions Staff from local Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, council staff, teachers, gardeners, food retailers and other concerned local residents, including Elders from the DEG, raised issues to do with food supply, drinking water, growing food locally and the effect of food choices on physical and mental health.

A report of the Food Forum can be found here, which includes the many suggestions raised throughout the forum of possible strategies and solutions. Since the Food Forum, Yuwaya Ngarra-li has been focused on building its ‘Food and Water for Life Program’, which aims to address food and water insecurity issues, poor drinking water, costly and poor quality food available in Walgett, and the associated health and wellbeing issues in Walgett.

The urgency of this work was highlighted after Walgett’s only supermarket burnt down and local food shortages during COVID. Since 2021, the Food and Water for Life Program has been boosted by a five year NHMRC grant (2021-2025) Food and Water for Life: co-creation and evaluation of sustainable innovations to strengthen food and water security with collaborators from UNSW and the George Institute for Global Health. In collaboration with WAMS, we seek to enable community-led sustainable food and water initiatives that will be run by and employ Aboriginal people, and ensure healthy drinking water and fresh nutritious food produced locally for years to come.

Food & Water 4 Life

Bow and Dane Simpson Amazing Race

Walgett residents are still buying drinking water. River water is unsuitable & Council hasn't made RO system work, so tap water is still high sodium.

Elders protest re having to buy drinking water

Walgett is on the confluence of two major rivers, the Baawan and the Ngamaay (Namoi). Despite this, Walgett is often without river water because of upstream irrigation and the way the rivers are managed

WAMS CEO Christine Corby AM with Minister Rose Jackson MLC

In February 2023 WAMS and DEG staff travelled to Sydney to begin our advocacy for the NSW Government to bring low sodium drinking water to Walgett and greater capability to Walgett Shire Council

Elders protest about drinking water during NAIDOC week 2022

Yuwaya Ngarra-li is continuing work to ensure safe drinking water for the Walgett community. While a reverse osmosis facility was installed in Walgett in May 2020,

Walgett's Gardeners Network

We are supporting Walgett gardeners to share resources and co-ordinate planting and harvesting of local foods. Compost and native grains are other initiatives that

IGA supermarket audit underway

With WAMS staff and Walgett IGA we are producing a variety of healthy supermarket initiatives. Meal of the Month promotes a healthy affordable meal

Walgett's IGA burning June 2019

The Food and Water for Life project is working to provide sustainable long term food security to Walgett. Our community is challenged from losing river foods

Community Garden update June 2023

UNSW Engineering staff and students from the ChallENG program collaborated with DEG and WAMS to develop irrigation solutions and shade for the WAMS community garden

Virginia Robinson welcomes everyone to the Walgett Food Forum

The Walgett Food Forum was held on 8th April 2019 to learn from and act on WAMS, DEG and broader Walgett community concerns and perspectives around food, nutrition and water. The aims of the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Food Forum were to:
• Provide data and research about what is known about food issues relevant to Aboriginal people in Walgett and impacts on long-term health and wellbeing
• Gather community members and critical services, organisations, and other stakeholders together to discuss food issues in Walgett
• Discuss positive action and strategies and evidence-based solutions to inform long-term planning.

© Dharriwaa Elders Group Incorporated.