CLOUD OVER $10M ALICE DESERT PEOPLES CENTRE: IAD STAYS PUT. Report by ERWIN CHLANDA.

NT Government plans for a $10m Desert Peoples Centre (DPC) south of The Gap have been thrown into disarray by the decision of the Institute for Aboriginal Development to spend a federal grant of $2.6m on redeveloping its South Terrace site.
IAD is proposed to be one of three Aboriginal organisations to be accommodated in the DPC, along with Batchelor College and the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT) Ð all focussed on education.
Minister for Central Australia Peter Toyne says he hopes IAD will still take part in the DPC but concedes that he's unaware of any signs of collaboration between IAD and the other two.
IAD itself has just emerged from a period of bitter infighting and there are grave doubts about its future viability.
Neither chairman Graham Smith nor director Eileen Shaw Ð both recently appointed Ð responded to requests for comment.
Dr Toyne says NT Education Minister Syd Stirling Ð under the banner of "self determination" Ð is in the process of clearing the use of the site, which means IAD is free to spend a $2.6m grant from the Australian National Training Authority.
The blocking of the grant's use has been a controversial issue for some years.
The NT government Ð although not a financial contributor Ð needs to approve the use of the land in South Terrace.
The former CLP government withheld consent for some time because it wanted IAD to share the Centralian College campus, but the ambitious DPC plan, backed by the new Labor government, is principally for Aboriginal groups.
IAD's clear refusal to play ball Ð at least for the moment Ð will make it difficult to incorporate in the DPC the economies of scale and opportunities for collaboration envisaged as the key of a Desert Knowledge precinct, a cornerstone of Labor's election campaign in The Centre last year.
It is understood that IAD had plans drawn up by Tangentyere Design for the new campus in South Terrace, and is now calling tenders for the construction.
However, there are no arrangements in place for the new facility's role in the DPC.
Says Dr Toyne: "We're continuing to encourage them to take part in the planning and the development of the Desert Peoples Centre.
"They have agreed to take part in the planning meetings.
"We're aware that there have been some major divisions in IAD in recent history but we're very confident about the current board and the director.
"Given enough time they will be able to regroup around a strong strategic plan.
"The only concern we've ever expressed is that they need to ensure that they are viable both financially and as an organisation.
"We've offered to help work through that but you can't put away the fact that there are still issues that have arisen out of the conflicts such as unfair dismissal cases."
Dr Toyne says he was a keen supporter of the "long running battle" of IAD with the former government to maintain their independence.
He says he acknowledges that the issue now is the collaboration of the three Aboriginal organisations "but the point is that the terms of that collaboration have got to be worked out with the devil potentially in the detail.
"I've certainly indicated, as has Syd Stirling, that we'd be very keen to see a strategic plan [of] what could potentially be done as part of the DPC so we all can see what they're aiming at."
Is designing a new building before a strategic plan is in place putting the cart before the horse?
Says Dr Toyne: "No, the cart and the horse have been around for many years. You don't trample all over that sort of tradition.
"The good things IAD have done for many years can still be partially delivered from the current campus even if they take a strong role in the DPC.
"In order to ride the increased government commitment down here to higher education and research, and their commercial side under Desert Knowledge, they would be very wise if they took up some participation in that project."
Territory Senator Nigel Scullion says he is "a little disappointed" in the IAD decision.
"Good leadership is about looking to the future and putting in place
policies and strategies to achieve benefits for the community and for your
constituents," he says.
"The synergies that could be generated with the co-location would create real benefits to all Australians and to Central Australian Aboriginal people in particular.
"I urge IAD to reconsider their involvement with the Desert Peoples Centre and help develop a cooperative direction forward in Aboriginal development," says Senator Scullion.

LIVING WITH BUFFEL FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS. Report by KIERAN FINNANE.

As Alice Springs tries to come to terms with a landscape dominated by buffel grass and the resulting fire threat, some pastoralists are still sowing the introduced species.
Donald Holt, at Delmore Downs north-east of Alice Springs, is one and says that, after 40 years of sowing, the grass is staying in the areas where he wants it.
Mr Holt says buffel only grows on seven of the 36 land systems on Delmore.
"It grows in drainage depressions and floodout country and they make up only a small percentage of the Centre's land systems," he says.
Ecologist Peter Latz agrees that buffel likes the best alluvial soils, but says that is the very problem: "These are the areas of the richest bio-diversity, the most important parts of the landscape, not only for pastoralists, but for native plants and animals.
"Native animals fatten and breed on these parts, as do cattle. They can live on the rest but they can't fatten and breed.
"The problem for native grasses when they are competing with buffel is that they are more palatable.
"Cattle and the native animals will choose the sweet native grasses over buffel, and they eat them out, seed and all.
"Then, in the good county, there'll only be buffel."
Mr Holt is a third generation pastoralist. He was only a boy when buffel was planted at Delmore in 1961 by the then Department of Agriculture, as a dust control measure.
"Initially, we were very concerned," says Mr Holt.
"My parents had seen it spread quickly on Delney and Alcoota [neighbouring leases] in floodout country.
"My mother, who grew a vegie garden the size of a tennis court, was particularly worried about it."
Mr Holt says government surveys show his property has over 50 species of native grasses. The diversity is monitored regularly and is increasing, he says.
SOWN 1961
There are still a wide variety of native species in the very paddock where the original buffel was sown in 1961.
He says the buffel will only grow 200 to 300 metres off the river; then it stops.
"We don't want a mono-culture on Delmore Downs, no way. But we like to have the buffel to see us through dry times.
"In the 1960s the Department of Agriculture tried very hard to get buffel grass to grow in unproductive spinifex country, which covers a big percentage of Central Australia, with very little success."
Botanist Dave Albrecht says that the future spread of buffel is an unknown quantity: "It is such a variable species, not only in its form but in its genetic make-up. It is possible that buffel could adapt to cope with less fertile conditions."
Mr Albrecht says buffel is now growing thickly along the roads through the West MacDonnells National Park. It is also starting to crop up in sandy country. For example, in the Finke bio-region it can be found growing under desert oaks.
On his 2700 square kilometres of land, 95 per cent of which is grazing country, Mr Holt estimates only about 300 sq km have buffel growing thickly. He intends to plant more in certain areas.
Mr Holt has bad memories of the drought years of the Ôsixties when hundreds of kangaroos were dropping dead around the homestead and the station bores.
In the dry years of the Ônineties Ð 1994, 1996 and 1999, in each of which they had less than 70 ml of rain Ð not a single Ôroo died. They survived on the buffel.
"'Roos have a greater need of green grass than cattle do, Ôroos die before cattle in a drought.
"As soon as mulga grass dries up, Ôroos die on it.
"It only takes 10 ml of rain for buffel to green up.
"The only native grass that responds like that is Mitchell grass. We've got some, we'd love more of it, but it only likes black soil country.
"We love all our native grasses, but we have a shortage of hardy perennials."
While Mr Holt is very concerned about fire Ð he and his neighbours have fought about 12 fires since last July, some burning on 50 kilometre fronts Ð he does not associate an increased risk with buffel. Indeed, he says he has even seen buffel slow up a fire burning off spinifex country.
Mr Latz, who has spoken in these pages before about the fire threat to Central Australia (see Alice News, Feb 6), agrees that buffel doesn't burn as fiercely as spinifex, but says buffel is incontestably increasing the fuel load: "If you've got twice as much grass, you'll have twice as much impact from fires."
Mr Holt says buffel also does a cheap, efficient job in improving eroded country.
Early pastoralists ran sheep in the district, tailing them out during the day and yarding them at night.
That kind of shepherding is "tough on country" says Mr Holt, yet even those areas are improving with the help of buffel and careful stocking regimes.
Mr Holt says he feels sorry for people trying to grow a garden amongst buffel grass but says the alternative of shovelling wheelbarrow loads of dust out of the house every day isn't much fun either.
He remembers the dust storms that covered the Centre in the late Ôfifties and early Ôsixties: "You had to get into the shower so you could breathe dust free air for a change."
"On the negative side it is unfortunate that buffel replaces native grasses on high phosphorous soils in a small number of land systems, but on the positive side millions of tons of precious top soil are saved from wind and water erosion by buffel grass," says Mr Holt.
Yes, says Mr Latz, buffel does a cheap job rehabilitating country, but "there's no such thing as a free lunch".
He points to Brigalow (a type of mulga) country in Queensland, which was cleared and planted with buffel.
Now, the buffel has exhausted the phosphorous in the soil, and pastoralists are having to use super-phosphate in order to maintain the introduced grass.
"I don't dispute that buffel has a distinct short-term advantage. When it is first sewn pastoralists get the wrong impression. For a while they are living with the best of both worlds but that can't last.
"Short-term gain, long-term pain."

COLUMN by ANN CLOKE: East - West connections.

One of the great things about living in the Centre, apart from our superb countryside and weather, is that most people dream of visiting the Red Heart, and with friends here, they have no excuse not to: the fascination of the interior lives on.
We always have a constant stream of visitors, which is super, as is the quiet when they all head home.
We escorted David's grandchildren, Rebecca (9) and Ben (6) to Sydney on Friday. The last time they visited from Mudgee, the weatherman frowned Ð it rained for a week (great for the pastoralists).
That was July 2001 Ð a different age, especially politically Ð we stood on the railway platform with hundreds of others, trying to ignore the drizzling rain as the momentum gathered, protesters tried to drown out politicians and ex SA Premier John Olsen, ex Chief Minister for the NT, Denis Burke, Franco Moretti, CEO, Asia Pacific Transport Company joined PM John Howard to turn, together, the first sod in the construction of our Alice Springs Ð Darwin railway link.
There was much excitement.
Rebecca and Ben were also here in June 1999 when the Alice News ran the road-rail article which propounded Alice Springs as a transport hub: the idea was to tie the extension of the south/north rail line to the construction of a much needed east/west road system.
Countless tunes have been written about roads Ð taking the high one or the low one, the one less travelled, Bob Dylan wondered how many a man had to walk down (in this politically sensitive age, change "man" to "person"), Rodriguez sang "all the roads they lead to Mexico", others prefer Rome, while we who live here know that all roads, tracks, trails and rails lead to, and pass through, the Alice.
The Outback Highway, if it ever gets off the drawing board, would certainly add a new dimension to travelling around Australia: 1700 kilometres of all weather transcontinental road linking into the great Eastern Highway at Laverton and Warburton in Western Australia, through to Uluru, along Lasseter's Highway into the Outback Capital, Alice Springs, and crossing into Queensland via the Plenty Highway to the Donahue and on to Winton.
Media releases, which were fast and furious, are now almost non-existent.
The project has been discussed for so many years and at so many different government levels. Working parties were set up to progress planning in 1996; calls were made for Federal funding to ensure the completion of our Outback Highway prior to the nation's Centenary of Federation celebrations. Whoops! Missed that deadline!
Headlines ranged from, as per the Outback Highway government media website, in November 1998 "Vision Endorsed in Canberra" and "East/West Highway on the Edge of Reality" to, in mid January 1999, "Federal Funding of $317M for NE Goldfields to Winton Highway Under Consideration by Commonwealth Transport Ministers" and only a week later, "Highway Going Nowhere".
In March 2000 there was again a big push from the regions to have voices heard in Canberra and although the Outback Highway project received support, in May 2000, it was overlooked in the budget.
Today, all regional development forums still have the Outback Highway listed as a top priority.
Elsewhere it's obviously not a matter of great importance.
May 1 and visitors are in raptures over our glorious weather and our Centralian hospitality Ð long range forecasters predict that there'll be sunshine about for our May Day weekend, Bangtail Musters, parades and right on track for the Racing Carnival.
We've still got a few months to capitalise on the Year of the Outback status, so if it's too much to ask for funding for an international airport in the Alice, maybe it's time to revisit and reintroduce proposals for the Outback Highway.
It hasn't had an airing for almost two years, and it warrants one: It makes perfect sense Ð south / north / east / west, road and rail (and air traffic) passing through the transport mecca, Alice Springs, the Capital of the Outback.

COLUMN by GLENN MARSHALL: New world-class desert suburbs?

The suburb of Larapinta will expand westwards again this year, first by 30 blocks and ultimately by 260 blocks. Mt Johns Valley along Stephens Road is also scheduled for development.
Will Alice Springs receive two more "Melbourne look-a-like" subdivisions, or will we get world-class desert suburbs in tune with our arid surroundings?
The opportunity is there to do it well. Indeed, business-as-usual suburbs will make a mockery of the "Desert Knowledge" label that the NT government and others are promoting, and will fail to deliver Labor's policy to "encourage the development of energy efficient design in housing to reduce material, heating and cooling cost".
If done well, the two subdivisions could have streets that slow traffic and are resident-friendly, blocks that allow houses to be oriented correctly for the sun, native vegetation corridors that encourage wildlife whilst providing pleasant walking access to shops and schools, effluent reuse to minimize fresh water use, stormwater harvesting to soak-in precious rainwater, houses that are water and energy efficient through good insulation, shading, arid zone gardens and a myriad of other integrated features.
Developers have done this elsewhere at a competitive cost and have attracted premium prices for their sought-after blocks. Also innovative developments create further business.
Sadly, current development procedures and regulations mean this outcome is highly unlikely. The NT lags well behind all other states and the Alice Springs Land Use Plan does not include any requirements for arid zone design. Industry players such as developers, builders, hardware suppliers and real estate agents have shown little inclination to lead from the front. Brendan Meney and the new Centre for Remote Health building are a welcome exception to this.
Recent developments such as Cawood Court, Head Street and the Convention Centre have failed to optimize these aspects. Implicit in this is consumers' ignorance (and apathy) towards good design.
How can this situation be addressed for Larapinta and Mt Johns Valley? Firstly, the NT government has to back-up its Desert Knowledge rhetoric with real actions. Criteria for developers must include a strong emphasis on achieving desert-appropriate subdivisions. Developers who fail to address this must not be short-listed. However, the government cannot rely solely on "the market" to provide an optimal outcome, particularly because local developers have limited experience with arid-focused subdivisions. PAWA and the Department of Infrastructure, Planning & Environment need to offer their considerable expertise to assist the planning and costing of various options by developers, such as extraction and treatment of sewage within the subdivision for irrigation reuse (sewer mining) instead of upgrading the Gap sewer to cope with extra loads.
Government should consider innovative financial incentives if developers can demonstrate long-term savings to government by smart designs. An example is energy efficient streetlights that cost more up-front but provide large electricity savings over time.
Minimum requirements should be placed on house designs to reduce energy and water use.
A mandatory Housing Energy Rating Scheme already exists in other states and is readily transferable to Alice Springs. Government can provide clever financial incentives to home-builders who incur higher upfront costs, knowing it will recoup its investment through means such as deferral of a power station upgrade due to energy savings.
Ultimately, homebuyers need to demand best-practice blocks. Government and the building industry need to support energy efficient display homes and a Building & Energy Advisory Service in Alice Springs, as well as researching and developing appropriate hardware.
Relevant aspects need to be enshrined in the NT Planning Scheme that is currently under review, to ensure all future suburbs in Alice Springs are truly desert suburbs.

GO FOR YEAR 12 OR GO TO WORK? Report by STEPHANIE HARRISON.

I'm sure all of you have suffered from "Monday morning" depression. Most mornings I wake up and wish that I didn't have to go to school. I'm pretty sure it would be worse for me though if I had to get up every morning and go to work Ð I have enough trouble getting out of bed to work a few hours on the weekend!
Now my friends and I have reached the age where we have two choices Ð stay at school and finish Year 12, or go out into the workforce. Most of us have decided to stay on at school and hopefully get enough marks to get into our preferred courses at university. For us, finishing Year 12 means having a higher level of education and a wider range of work options when we leave school.
Like most things though, there are times when we just feel like giving it all away and doing something we'd enjoy more. Some of my friends quit school at the end of Year 10 and now have apprenticeships Ð I think, good on them!
I want to keep my options open though, because I want to go to university. I have no idea what I want to do yet but I'm thinking about it! Maybe something to do with social work or working for an aid organisation overseas.
Nicole, 16, tells me that sometimes she's been tempted to quit school: "Everyone gets sick of school but after a while you'd get sick of working too."
Rebecca, 16, also says she's thought about it: "But I know if I do, I won't be able to get as good a job in the future as I want to.
"I'm only ever tempted to give it away because school gets boring."
Rebecca wants to study psychology.
Dash, 16, is happy to stay at school so that he can get good qualifications: "I'd like to work as a physiotherapist for a sports team and travel with them."
Coming to a public school this year has been a pretty big change for me (I went to St Philip's until the end of Year 10) and for a couple of my friends. I can certainly say it's very different at Centralian College Ð no uniform, no bells, and no really strict rules.
Because school is no longer compulsory for us, we are there by choice. Centralian treats their students pretty much the same as they would a tertiary student. That is, you choose to go there so it's up to you to do the work.
I haven't found this new "freedom" to be an excuse to skip classes and not do my work. The way I see it is, if you're serious about doing well in life then you can't have people pushing you along all the time to get things done.
If my friends and I want to pass at the end of Year 12 with good marks, it's up to us to hand in our assignments, go to the library and research, turn up for our classes etc.
This "freedom" disciplines us as students to use our time well because if we abuse the system (and in the end, we don't get the marks we wanted), it's no one's fault but ours.
Nicole is also enjoying it at Centralian: "The freedom is good, and let's you enjoy school more. At my old school, it was a lot stricter, but I seem to be doing just as well here and am having a better time."
Dash likes it too: "They treat you like adults and this teaches you to do stuff like get to class on time (because there aren't any bells).
"I also like how there are people here from all different schools because you get to meet lots of new people."
At first I thought it would be pretty scary going to a new school because I didn't think I knew that many people going there. However, despite all my concerns, my time there (so far) has been fantastic. Everyone is really happy and friendly.
I should have known it would be all right because I saw it as being pretty much the same as starting off on my school exchange in India last year, although I didn't know anyone there and I was thousands of kilometres away from home. I mean, at least I am in the same town!
My parents were a bit worried when they saw all the free periods in my timetable. I convinced them that my "study periods" would be used wisely and I assure you that they have been! It's great to be able to do your homework with all your friends around and also with access to the Internet and books in Centralian's library.
Another change that I (and probably every other Year 11 at Centralian) have had to get used to is staying at school until 5pm some days. But I think the late starts some mornings fully compensate for that!
Bec, 16, is in Year 12 at Centralian and as she puts it, "Having free periods in Year 11 and 12 gives you more time to do other things and also gives you a bit of a break from working all the time."
She wants to do childcare when she finishes at the end of the year and is doing that subject as a TAFE course this year.
That's another good thing about Centralian Ð students can take TAFE in School Courses and have them accredited to the Northern Territory Certificate of Eduction (NTCE). If they complete their course successfully, it gives them a head start in that subject at the end of Year 12 if they want to follow that line of study.
Leanne, 15, thinks doing a TAFE course is a good idea "if you don't really know what you want to do when you finish Year 12".
"It gives you on-the-job experience which prepares you for a job when you finish school."
I can't believe that my friends and I have been at school for 12 years already and only have one more year to go. It's kinda scary how fast time flies!

RACING: YOUNG GUNS GET GLIMPSE OF 'BIG ONE'. Report by PAUL FITZSIMONS.

The Young Guns who flocked to Pioneer Park on the weekend were given an insight into the "big daddy" of them all in Centralian racing, the XXXX Alice Springs Cup coming up this weekend.
The main event of last Saturday, raced over 1900 metres, the Coleman's Cup, brought joy to champion Darwin hoop David Bates as his mount, Pim, scored by half a length from 25-1 chance Scintillator with the well fancied local Prince Dubai third. The win places Pim in firm contention for the Alice Cup on Monday.
The gelding will benefit from a huge drop in weight for the event, but will not be without opposition. Newsflash, a galloper from Adelaide, recently acquired by Darwin connections, is not being floated to the Centre on a tourist cruise. So too Donny Brasco, who has experienced racing in Alice, has been relocated to the Centre and has been set specifically for the Cup.
Mt Isa will be represented in the full field by proven performer, Sea Royal. The galloper, who has a good strike rate, performed well over 1100 metres in the Absolute Steel Handicap on Saturday, finishing mid-field. The increased Cup distance will no doubt suit the visitor.
Popular Territory identity Kerry Petrick looks as though she will have three chances in the big race.
Our Mr Kinsman did nothing to destroy his support with a solid performance in the Coleman's Cup. Rockhound also battled on well in the race, and while Rich Sky may have finished near the rear, he cannot be discounted.
The eight-event card on Monday will again draw a huge crowd and the Cup itself will be well supported by feature races, the Queen of the Desert Stakes and the Zuelig Insurance Brokers Handicap.
On Saturday, Family Fun Day, the Schweppes Pioneer Sprint will take pride of place as the feature.
The 1200 metre dash will contain a top class field. Judging from recent performances there are certain gallopers worthy of consideration.
At the top of the field are Butkiss and High Revs. Both have experienced the thrill of Centralian racing and will be well supported.
But coming out of the Absolute Steel Handicap of Saturday are two performers worthy of a flutter. Palooka, who started at 16-1, upstaged the field to edge out Masindor at 8-1 to take the money. Palooka finished second in the Schweppes Sprint last year and will be there on Saturday.
The other galloper to really impress was Bathers.
Bathers climbed over the field to finish in third place despite carrying top weight of 58 kg.
The Alice Springs Turf Club have again put together a bumper weekend of Cup racing. To precede it however will be the now traditional William Inglis and Son Red Centre Yearling Sale. It will be held on Friday night and indoors at the Convention Centre at Lasseters Hotel Casino.
Turf Club chief Steve Smedley recently ventured to Melbourne to ensure stock of value to bidders, and the sale will begin at 8pm after Racing Minister Syd Stirling hosts the traditional Carnival Cocktail Party.

AUSSIE RULES: BACK TO GRAND OLD DAYS.

The grand old days of football in Central Australia were revisited on the weekend with two great games played.
In the early match the only component missing were the crowds on the hill as West and Pioneer fought out a five point game which ended in the Bloods' favour.
West kicked 8.7 (55) to Pioneers 6.14 (50).
The late game revealed a new born Federal line up, never out of the game when they went down by 19 points to South 14.10(94) to 11.9 (75).
Pioneer ran on to Traeger for the first time this season having enjoyed the bye in the first round. It is hypothetical as to whether this privilege is an advantage early in the season and by three quarter time coach Roy Arbon probably was wishing that his charges had had the benefit of a work out in the opening round.
Despite this the Eagles had been able to establish a 3.6 to 1.1 lead at quarter time. Instrumental in the Pioneer attack were a fully developed Norm Hagan who ran rampant through the half forward line and set the scene for the Eagles' goal scorers. In the West camp it was a case of little talk, and a poor display of ball handling skills, probably due to nerves.
A standout for West was new recruit Justin Bentley who marked keenly in the forward line and generated attack for the Bloods.
On the other hand tragedy struck for Pioneers in the second term when Ian Taylor fell awkwardly after leaping for a mark and had to be stretchered from the field. Nevertheless Pioneer continued to pepper the goals adding 1.5 to their score for the quarter as opposed to West's solitary goal from Jarrad Slater. Meanwhile, lurking in the mid field was Karl Gunderson who gave West plenty of drive and as the game progressed would prove to be a trump card.
With the score at 4.11 to 2.1 at half time, Pioneer were ruing that they had the game sewn up. Fifteen scoring shots to three is a winner anywhere, anytime!
The feature of the third term was the fact that Pioneer seemed to lack match fitness and could not run the ball as they would in September. Daryl Lowe began the West fight back with a goal off the back of the pack in the goal square. Pioneer replied, but found that the Bloods took the game by the scruff of the neck and had Rory Hood put two consecutive six pointers through the middle.
Interestingly the new chum on the field for West, Bentley, fired up and showed some old fashioned aggression, which resulted in Trevor Dhu and himself resting on the bench for 10 minutes thanks to yellow cards.
At the three-quarter time break little separated the sides with the Eagles 5.11 to West 5.4.
Steven Squires continued the Bloods' revival with a goal early in the final term.
Michael Gurney, after taking a courageous mark at centre half forward, then put the Bloods in the lead for the first time in the match.
The four-point advantage was not long lived however, as Harold Howard took advantage of a Graeme Smith pearler to score and have Pioneer reclaim the lead.
In the dying minutes of play the ball re-entered the Wests' scoring zone and the by now controversial Bentley marked strongly and goaled. With the clock running down, Troy Camilleri took the ball on Wests' half forward line and registered a behind, so soaking up time and giving the Bloods a five point win.
West in celebrating could well have nominated the whole team for their performance.
Gunderson however stood out over the four quarters. Jarrod Berrington took control in the centre, particularly in the last half; Sean Cantwell again played a top game on the ball; and other players to impress were Troy Camilleri and David James.
In the Pioneer camp, confidence would not be down despite the loss. Bentley Brown was a winner all day; Vaughan Hampton gave his usual 100 per cent; Aaron Kopp showed he hasn't lost any of his touch, and Aaron Campbell was prominent.
South ran on in the second game as firm favourites against Federal.
The Feds have opened the season without the services of their appointed coach, Eddie Kitching, and in their first round game against West were firmly beaten. They had Daniel Palmer add to their woes as a late withdrawal due to injury sustained in the Country competition on Saturday, but were reinforced by the appearance of Craig Turner.
The first term was dominated by the exhibitions of two big men: Shane Buzzacott and Shaun Cusack.
Fed's Buzzacott, following on from his five goal haul in the first round, kicked six for the match,t hree being in the first quarter.
At the other end of the ground Cusack booted six also, with two goals in the first stanza, and he was responsible for setting Darren Talbot up for another. At the break Feds lead by two points, 3.3 to 3.1.
To start the second term Cusack took the ball out of a pack in the pocket to score and set South's runners on their way.
They booted 4.4 for the quarter to Federals 2.2 and rested at the big break with a 12-point lead.
In the premiership term, the third, South again dominated putting another 4.3 on the board to Feds 2.2.
A highlight of the quarter came when Cusack launched a huge kick goalwards from outside the 50 metre line, to see it sail through the goals untouched.
In the run home, Federal again had Buzzacott as the centre of attention as they tried to wheel the Roos in, but despite their efforts both sides scored 3.2 for the quarter and left the final result as a 19 point win to the Roos.
The Supers were led to perfection by Cusack, but he had Shane Hayes, Lionel Buzzacott, Malcolm Ross, Trevor Presley and Ali Satour to assist him.
For Feds, Buzzacott was the man; Darren Young showed he will develop into a star; Craig Turner made a welcome return; Simon Neck, Jason Fishook, and Ralph Turner each registered good games.
On the weekend Rovers will face Federal in the early game and then Pioneer will play South.

ALICE DOCO NOMINATED FOR PRIZE. Review by KIERAN FINNANE.

A short CAAMA-produced language program has been nominated for an international documentary award and been purchased by SBS, who have commissioned a further five minutes of footage.
The film, Trespass directed by David Vadiveloo, brings to the screen in language the views of Mirarr traditional owner Yvonne Margarula.
Margarula came into the national spotlight in 1998 when she was arrested for trespass on her own traditional land, which is also Ð tragically from her point of view Ð the site of the Jabiluka uranium mine.
Trespass was made as part of CAAMA's Nganampa - Anwernekenhe (meaning "Ours") series. As the Central Australian audience knows, this long-running series presents Aboriginal stories and viewpoints in Aboriginal languages. It is the only program for broadcast of its sort in the nation.
Its goals are chiefly maintenance and preservation of Aboriginal cultures for future generations. It is primarily for Aboriginal audiences, but is also seen as an opportunity for "non-Aboriginal people in Australia and throughout the world to learn of this ancient culture".
In this context Trespass is a moving and beautifully made work.
We see Yvonne Margarula in her homeland, with family members, especially children, and hear her speak quietly but firmly, mostly in a voice-over track, of her deep opposition to Jabiluka.
She sees the mine as threatening the children's inheritance and their ability to conduct their own affairs without outside "meddling".
She claims that her father was put under pressure to sign the go-ahead agreement for the mine.
There is also a claim by Jacqui Katona, a "Stolen Generation" Mirarr woman who has returned to fight the Jabiluka campaign alongside Margarula, that alcohol was provided to the Aboriginal people involved in the negotiations for the mine agreement.
Margarula says the Mirarr will never let go: "We are strong". Her conviction is especially poignant in the context of the dwindling numbers of people Ð only 24 Ð who speak her language, a sign no doubt of other aspects of the culture also weakening.
There is no doubt that this short film is engaging, that Margarula's point of view deserves to be heard, and that there is much to learn from the Mirarr's understanding of their homeland. The sequences showing Margarula fashioning a drinking vessel from a piece of bark, and gathering water-lily tubers and "peanuts" are very satisfying in this regard.
However, outside of the Nganampa context, as a "free-standing" documentary, Trespass faces the problems of a one-sided presentation.
It does not give the mining company's point of view, nor the government's, nor Aboriginal viewpoints in support of the mine.
The documentary raises controversial issues without providing its audience with material that would allow a balanced consideration of them.
This is especially a problem for an international audience in all likelihood unaware of the complexities of the issues.
Vadiveloo is conscious of the dilemma.
He says his brief was to record aspects of Mirarr culture and history and that he had neither the screen time nor the budget to treat the issues comprehensively. (The film was made for one tenth of the budget of a standard half-hour documentary for broadcast.)
Vadiveloo has had informal talks with two Australian broadcasters about a one hour film on the subject, involving the "bigger players, if they'll talk" as well as the Mirarr.
The response was not encouraging, although a French broadcaster has been more enthusiastic.
"I'm painfully aware that the film is one-sided but I thought it was important to give an airing to Yvonne Margarula's point of view.
"It touches on issues of massive interest to Australia Ð uranium mining and Aboriginal land rights Ð and if it helps get them back onto the national agenda, and if it assists the Mirarr in what they believe is a legitimate claim, then I'm happy with it."
Two other CAAMA-produced docos have been nominated for the Canadian Golden Sheaf Awards in the Best Documentary category, Mistake Creek, by Allan Collins and For Who I Am, about Bonita Mabo, by Danielle Maclean.

NATION'S BEST CRAFT WORKS HEAD FOR ALICE. Report by DOROTHY GRIMM.

Territory Craft volunteers have been chest-deep in padding and crates as they unwrap the almost 200 Alice Craft Acquisition entries from 120 crafts people throughout Australia.
The annual acquisition is being held for the 27th time this year, providing people in Alice Springs with the opportunity to see craft trends being practised in other parts of the country.
Through the acquisition, Territory Craft has been collecting important works of contemporary Australian craft since 1975. Prior to the establishment of Araluen, the event was known as the National Craft Award and was held in a number of venues around Alice Springs.
Today the permanent collection contains pieces representing a variety of crafts including ceramic, wood, leather, jewellery, paper and a wide range of textiles.
The collection is on a rotating display at the Alice Springs Airport and the Territory Craft Gallery. All entrants go through a selection process.
Expressions of interest along with slides or photographs are assessed by a panel of local professional crafts people.
They look for originality in concept and design and a high level of technical resolution in the chosen medium.
This year's entrants include many crafts people new to the acquisition, including a number of Territorians.
Judges over the years have selected craft works which they believe enrich the overall collection as well as pieces recognised for their own worth.
The acquisition will be opened at Araluen on Friday, May 3 at 6.30pm by Alice Springs Airport General Manager Don McDonald.
The advisor to Territory Craft for the acquisition of works is Grace Cochran, curator of Decorative Arts and Design at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum.
Her professional appointments include membership of both the Crafts Board and the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, the Australian Artists Creative Fellowship (Keating) committee, the Tasmanian Arts Advisory Board, the Crafts Council of Australia and three university art school faculty committees.
She is the author of The Crafts Movement in Australia: a History (NSW University Press, 1992) and has contributed to a number of other publications.

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