It’s been a busy three weeks in Katherine and Central Arnhem with our massive annual mango picking at the Katherine Research Station!
Beswick, Barunga and Binjari Nyirrunggulung-RISE teams joined forces with RISE Katherine and picked over 6 TONNES OF MANGOS! Wow!
The Katherine Research Station researches crops, farming and growing techniques in the Northern Territory. Part of their work is a mango orchard, where they test and tweak their methods to find out the best varieties and techniques for future commercial growing.
Because they operate as a research centre for the benefit of farmers and scientists, the produce they grow cannot be sold. This makes our mango picking even more special, as we are allowed to give the mangos away to the communities we work in.
The mango picking mission started with a comprehensive safety briefing from the Research Station team, and then then everyone cracked into it.
It’s hot work out on the orchard and the fellas filled up trailer after trailer of ripe mangos. Once picked, they are then sorted and stored in the cool room, ready for distribution.
Schools, creches, care homes, community groups, families and friends were all delighted to be hand-delivered packs of mangos by our teams. With the amount we picked, there weren’t many people that didn’t get a bag or two!
A great example this year was working with Barunga School and the EON Foundation. Jack from RISE Ventures took a load out to the school where the staff there helped to sort and pack mangos.
The EON Foundation then taught locals how to use the mangos in creative ways like baking, smoothies and curries!
Nyirrunggulung-RISE is proud to see all the work achieved over the past three weeks and how our Aspirants have helped and encouraged each other. All of it is made worthwhile when we see the happy faces of people, especially the locals kids.
It’s such a pleasure partnering with the Katherine Research Station and we’re so grateful for the horticulture and educational opportunities they provide for our Aspirants.
A big thank you must go to Peter Beesley and his team who organised and ran this whole operation – your dedication and care for our communities shines through!
Well done to everyone involved, you should be very proud of yourselves.