Former AFL player appointed first Telfer-based ISDO

A ground-breaking partnership between the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) and Newcrest Mining Ltd has seen former Collingwood AFL player Tristen Walker enlisted to help communities in the Western Desert achieve their own goals in sport and recreation.

25 November 2008

Newcrest recently appointed Tristen as the Indigenous Sports Development Officer (ISDO) for the region. He has been employed on a fly-in-fly out basis and is based at Newcrest's Telfer gold mine, some 450 km east of Port Hedland.

As an ISDO, Tristen's main mission is to get more Indigenous people from the region involved in sport and recreation and adopting healthy lifestyles. He will run programs designed to improve participation and skill levels in a range of sports and enhance recreational pursuits.

DSR Director General Ron Alexander said the decision to base Tristen at the Telfer site was expected to result in better sport and recreation services and opportunities for Indigenous communities throughout the Western Desert.

"I am delighted that Newcrest has been able to secure Tristen in this role in what is the first agreement of its kind in Australia for this national Indigenous Sports Program," Mr Alexander said.

"Geographically, Telfer is in a good position as a base from which to travel to each of the communities, and as a result, people in each of these communities will see the ISDO more often and will reap the benefits of improved participation and skill levels in a range of sport and recreational pursuits."

Mr Alexander said some difficulty had been experienced over the past couple of years in attracting staff to deliver the department's Indigenous Sports Program (ISP) in the Western Desert.

"As a result, alternatives for future delivery of the ISP in the Western Desert have been explored and this partnership arrangement with Newcrest Mining to deliver the program was found to be the most sustainable solution," he said.

Telfer's Community Relations Superintendent Leon van Erp said the partnership was great news for people in the Western Desert region.

"This is a good example of the strong level of cooperation that has been developed between Newcrest and the Department of Sport and Recreation over several years," he said.

"Tristen has a wealth of experience, skills and stories to share with people in the communities and their aspiring sports men and women. He himself will also benefit from the extensive support available to him through Telfer's Community Relations team, which already boasts considerable experience and success in the support it offers to Indigenous people in the region."