Willowra Adult Education & Childhood Centre

This centre is located at Willowra 400 kms north-west of Alice Springs. It is a significant milestone for the community as capital works projects have not been possible for a long time due to intense, ongoing family feuding. However, this Learning Centre was instigated and partly funded by the community acting as a whole, and represents solidarity and co-operation between the different family groups.

 The community was consulted to select the optimum site for the location of the Learning Centre. The site chosen was already used as an open-air, central meeting space for the community. It posed some technical difficulties but was seen to reinforce the ‘town centre’ of the community, building on synchronicity between community services and promoting pedestrian activity over vehicular circulation. The new buildings have been placed at the eastern and southern edges of the lot to maximise open space, creating a north facing courtyard sheltered from dust and harsh easterly winds.

The Learning Centre houses a space for community meetings and adult learning, a library, cultural storage areas, staff facilities and a crèche for 15 children. The buildings are connected by verandahs and arranged around a courtyard so can be operated in conjunction or independently.

The courtyard acts an outdoor cinema and “living room” around which the functions of the centre operate.  Large roller doors connect the learning space to the courtyard allowing the wide verandah to extend the meeting space for large events.  Multiple entry and exit points, an internal operable wall and the layout of the complex allow community members to use the building and attend large meetings while negotiating cultural and family relationships and taboos.

The staff accommodation is a duplex and is also designed for flexibility. It can accommodate Learning Centre staff, visitors, or other tenants and has been designed to give occupants a feeling of security through proximity while maintaining the privacy of each dwelling.

Employment of local workers was a high priority for the community and was strongly supported by everyone involved with the project. A requirement for local employment was integrated into the tender documents. The indigenous-owned building contractor selected via a competitive tender process employed 4 local men on a casual basis for a total of 1400 hours. Initially employed as unskilled labourers, their pay grades were increased as their skills developed. Two of the workers were offered ongoing full-time work with the contractor at the completion of the project and one is considering his Certificate 3 in carpentry.  

Funds remaining towards the end of the project were used for a community art project. Sixteen large, beautiful Jukurrpa panels were painted by a different family group, each panel representing  the family’s contribution and involvement with the new centre. The panels have been installed around the entry courtyard of the building. Smaller panels by the children have been placed around the exterior of the crèche.