Army meets their match in Yalata

The Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Programme (AACAP) was established in 1997 to work with Aboriginal communities to deliver infrastructure, healthcare and training in remote areas. The Programme is a co-operative endeavour between the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Australian Army and forms part of the Close the Gap Campaign.

Since May 2018, the Aboriginal community of Yalata (200 kilometres west of Ceduna in South Australia) has hosted 150 soldiers in their country as part of AACAP. During the past months they have constructed housing as well as upgrading the road to the nearby airstrip and the local caravan park. The Army also plans to build a new multi-purpose Parent and Children Centre and a covered meeting area in the community.

Thus, after much hard work, an opportunity for recreation was welcomed when an Aussie rules match was arranged between Army and the local community. The game was a close run affair with the Yalata Warriors clinching victory by a few points – the home crowd advantage no doubt providing them with some extra incentive! The Army presented the community with customised jerseys before the match as a token of gratitude for spending time in Yalata. The jerseys were designed and manufactured by our team at the Military Shop / BrandNet. We design, produce and deliver hundreds of customised items for the ADF on a daily basis. Have a look at our website for inspiration on what we can do for you.