Published: 24 Nov 2015

From ABC Rural, Peta Doherty, 24 November 2015

A hole in a fence has led a Northern Territory ranger group to develop a financially stable business model.

A hole in a fence has led a Northern Territory ranger group to develop a financially stable business model.

The group is now operating a fee-for-service model business, which has generated more than $300,000 in two years, according to group facilitator Steven Brown.

It gives the whole community a lift when they see more people being employed within our group

Steven Brown, group facilitator

The contracts started flowing after one of the rangers discovered a hole in the fence surrounding the Department of Finance property on the Cox Peninsula Road, south of Darwin.

"I went down here to do some work; I drove the car around and I saw the hole," the man behind the discovery, ranger John said.

"People were going in and stealing so I told Steven the coordinator."

The group advised the Canberra-based department and within two months the Kenbi rangers were asked to take over the security contract for the site.

"From the security [contract] we got site maintenance work, mowing of lawns, slashing, erection of signs warning people of asbestos — so it just flowed on and on," Mr Brown said.

The area holds debris from Cyclone Tracy and the department this year warned that dangerous levels of asbestos, pesticides, heavy metals had been found there.

Working on country

The Working on Country program has funded the employment of 770 Indigenous rangers across 108 groups since 2007.

Rangers undertake environmental work on country for national benefit, such as management of cultural sites, fire regimes, biodiversity, and feral animal and weed control.

But the Kenbi rangers — who started with just one chainsaw and one vehicle — are on track to become sustainable.

Ranger Rex said the group had "really big" plans to create jobs for the community.

"What we want to do is to get young people to look at the way we are going, instead of sitting around watching TV," he said.

"To go out and work as a ranger, follow in our footsteps... That way, in the future, they can get employment."

The rangers are teaching children about their work through a ranger camp program.

New equipment for new opportunities

They have invested their earnings into equipment such as ride-on mowers, quad bikes and a boat, in the hope it will help them gain more work.

"That boat cost us $85,000 but it just opened up a whole new scene for our group," Mr Brown said.

"It gives us access to the sea and we will be able to pick up contracts. It gives the rangers access to the islands, which they have never had access to."

The group's fee-paying clients now include Telstra, Theiss, GHD, Cardno, Five D and the Department of Finance.

The contracts have also meant the group can employ more rangers.

"Last Monday we put on five more casual staff," Mr Brown said.

"It gives the whole community a lift when they see more people being employed within our group."

Traditional owner and Kenbi ranger Zoe Singh said the ranger group was supporting the community and helping to clean up the land.

One of the group's first achievements was to build a river crossing to land which had previously been inaccessible for up to nine months of the year.

With more contract work on the horizon, Ms Singh said she saw a bright future for her people.

"There'll be more jobs for the younger ones, plus for the teenagers and maybe for the community," Ms Singh said.

"We've got jobs there available for them if they want to join."