Merry Christmas

As this year comes to a close, we want to thank you sincerely for your support of Walk a While Foundation during 2024.  You have helped bring hope and comfort to the Indigenous communities of the NT western desert region.

Perhaps you supported our winter clothing appeal, which saw nearly 100 boxes of blankets and warm clothes delivered to people in need.  Or perhaps you helped by making a cash donation during the year.  Perhaps you did both.

But whatever you did, no matter how large or small your gift may have been, you need to know it makes a huge difference to the Indigenous people we serve in remote NT communities.

Down below is a link to a Christmas video for you to enjoy and share.

In April this year, work on the track up Memory Mountain was completed, so it is now safe for people to make the steep 960-metre trek to the summit.  We have hosted a few small tours and hope to run more of those in 2025.  But there are still a number of things that need to be accomplished before we can welcome you with open arms.

Our greatest need at present is for a full-time training & hospitality manager at Haasts Bluff. Pam and I are going out there in January and hope to meet with some candidates.  Until we have trained staff available, we can’t open Memory Mountain to the public.

We are still waiting for our lease applications to be finalised – but we believe that will happen early next year.  Having the leases finalised will give us more options for accommodation within the Ikuntji community at Haasts Bluff, while we are working on the bigger Memory Mountain Tourism precinct.

However, the buildings we are leasing all need to be renovated before we can receive groups of visitors.  And we need finance for those renovations.  I’ve taken the liberty of listing just a few of our immediate needs below. 

·       A commercial oven for the main kitchen and new benchtops – approx. $18,000

·       Two new commercial washing machines and clothes dryers – approx. $10,000

·       A new water treatment unit – approx. $14,000

·       New linen & towels for 20 guess – approx. $2,500

·       Three new couches for communal areas – approx. $4,500

·       A dust-proof luggage trailer – approx. $30,000

If you can help with a donation towards any of these items, the Ikuntji community will be most grateful. And please remember, all your gifts to Walk a While and Memory Mountain are tax deductible.

You can go here to donate now.

And in the meantime, here is a link to an inspiring Christmas video, from our friend (and talented cinematographer), Chris Tangey.  Chris has given permission for you to share this far and wide if your choose.

Finally, we want to wish you a truly blessed Christmas and a joyful start to 2025.  We look forward to staying in touch with you throughout the coming year. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Ken & Pam Duncan

On behalf of the Walk a While Board

Link to Chris Tangey’s video:  https://vimeo.com/1031367288