Jali LALC is based within the heart of the Bundjalung Country and was first established on Cabbage Tree Island, the local Aboriginal community in the Ballina LGA. Cabbage Tree Island was settled by the ancestors of local families as a chosen place to raise their families and to self-determine their lives. This continued until the oversight and management policies of Aboriginal peoples under the NSW Government. Cabbage Tree Island received its name due to the abundant Cabbage Tree palms that were originally on the Island. Due to clearing and using the palms for shelter and housing, the palms are not as abundant with a few remaining on the school grounds.
From the early 1800s, European squatters and settlers rapidly colonised far north-eastern New South Wales (NSW) near the Queensland border. Conflicts between Aboriginal people living on the land and new settlers often occurred and the police were often called in to settle disputes. The Native Police had a reputation for violence against Aboriginal people. The Native Police were frequently called in to ‘disperse’ large Aboriginal camps, which often meant directly firing at people. James Ainsworth, an early settler in the Ballina region, gave detailed accounts of life on the frontier in his reminiscences of the period from 1847 to 1922. Ainsworth records that in 1853 or 1854 when Queensland was under the jurisdiction of NSW, it was the custom for white policemen to patrol distant territories with Aboriginal trackers who had expert knowledge of the bush and could track down fugitives.
The Numbahging Co-operative, established on Cabbage Tree Island was one of the first Aboriginal co-operatives in Australia and at its time was revolutionary in respect to Aboriginal people working towards being an acknowledged part of the economy.
Jali LALC has been farming on various land holdings at Cabbage Tree Island (approx. 20ha) and Wardell (approx. 80ha) for many decades. A review of the farmlands has been undertaken and commercial opportunities to plant Macadamia trees is being actively pursued.
Located at Bagotville, via Wardell, the Ngunya Jargoon IPA It covers over 1,114 hectares of the Lower Richmond Valley on the northern coast of New South Wales. The Ngunya Jargoon IPA is a refuge for a number of plants and animals. Ngunya Jargoon, meaning ‘my land’, was dedicated as an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in 2013.
The Jali lands are the largest and most significant wildlife corridors in the Lower Richmond Valley and together with the adjoining BlackwallRange and Tuckean Swamp provide a major refuge for biodiversity in an otherwise critically fragmented landscape. The IPA is the traditional country of people belonging to the Bundjalung language group and in particular the people of the Nyangbal clan group.
The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) funds the three year IPA project and recently declared the lands at Bagotville as an IPA. Ngunya Jargoon IPA will also enable the Jali LALC to further enhance the environmental and cultural significance of the lands.
Jali LALC has a rental property portfolio (currently 32 properties) that it makes available for rent by members. Day to management of the properties and collection of the rent has been outsourced to a local real estate agent. With demand for housing increasing, sourcing additional funding for social housing is a key priority.
Jali Care Services is a Home Care Package service provider. Home Care Packages are available to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people aged 50 years and over as well as non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 65 years and over who have “care needs” that are met by an individual package of care. Jali Care Services aims to provide a range of care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged people (current and prospective) as well as non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to support them to remain living independently at home. Jali Care Services provides care services under the Aged Care Quality Standards which ensures that care recipients receive services, support, and care of the highest quality. Jali Care Services is funded by the Department of Health and covers the Far North Coast area and has care workers based across communities within its boundaries.