malala_health_service

Maningrida events for 2026

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:43:58 GMT

We’re running a range of health and community events across 2026 here in Maningrida.

These activities bring together Mala’la staff and partner organisations, with a focus on making our health services easier to access and creating spaces where people feel comfortable to come along.

Details for each event will be shared closer to the dates.

Download the 2026 calendar

Prefer a printable version?

Download the full Maningrida Events 2026 calendar.

Last updated: 17 April 2026. Dates may change and more details will be added closer to the event.

Upcoming events

Stay updated

We' ll share more information closer to each event including locations and how to get involved.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page or check back here for updates.

Mala'la Newsletter March 2026

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 01:58:41 GMT

Mala'la Newsletter March 2026

The year was off to a busy start with ongoing construction work on the clinic extension, Healthy Skin Week and a Graduation ceremony for the Men's Shed men. Take a look at our newsletter below to see what has been happening at Mala'la!

Mala'la Newsletter December 2025

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:40:08 GMT

Mala'la Newsletter December 2025

We wrap up the year by bringing home an RACGP award and Kicking the Habit at the Maningrida Footy Festival. Take a look at our December newsletter for all the latest!

The Maningrida Footy Festival is back for 2025!

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 04:45:02 GMT

After the successful launch of the Maningrida Footy Festival in 2024, we are excited to share that it’s back for another round on Friday 14 and Sunday 16 November.

As part of our partnership with the Sydney Swans, we will have several of their AFL and AFLW players and staff join us for a week of footy clinics, workshops and other activities across the West Arnhem region before concluding the week at the Maningrida Footy Festival.

The festival will see men's and women's teams from Gunbalanya, Milingimbi, Ramingining and Maningrida come together for fun competition, music and food and to share the messages about the dangers of smoking and encouraging healthier lifestyles for everyone.

Mala’la will also be running several health stations at the newly built change rooms offering health checks, activities that promote healthy living and fun giveaways.

It’s going to be a great weekend, and we can’t wait to see everyone down at the oval!

Kick the Habit

Kick the Habit is an initiative by the Australian Government’s Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program. It encourages communities to say ‘no’ to smoking by supporting healthy lifestyles through the promotion of smoke-free environments as well as discouraging the uptake of smoking and tobacco products.

This year, the focus will be on highlighting the serious impacts that second-hand smoke has on children and young people – our future leaders.

Sign up to play!

If you’re interested in playing at the Maningrida Footy Festival, get your team together and sign up today.

Teams from across the region are welcome to join. Whether you’re a regular player or just keen to have a go, we encourage everyone to take part.

Register your interest:

David Freier
Tackling Indigenous Smoking Coordinator
Mala'la Health Service

0407 844 034

Riley Thompson

Regional Sports Coordinator

NT Government

0477 710 509

Binh Van Phan

Senior Project Officer

Mala'la Health Service

0437 869 003

Bigger and better Mala’la health clinic

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:47:03 GMT

Works are now in full swing for the expansion of the Mala’la health clinic in Maningrida.

Expected to be complete by early 2026, this development will deliver more clinical rooms, a dedicated space for rheumatic heart disease, sealed parking and a staff training room.

These improvements will give residents better access to the care they need.

Maningrida is the Northern Territory’s largest remote community, home to around 3,500 people living in the town and surrounding homelands.

Mala’la clinic is also one of the NT’s busiest with more than 80,000 recorded client contacts in 2025. As the community continues to grow, so too does its health needs.

This expansion is a much needed investment in the future of health care in Maningrida.

Mala'la Newsletter August 2025

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 02:31:42 GMT

Mala'la Newsletter August 2025

Download our latest newsletter below to find out what has been happening across our various departments.

Construction commences on Mala'la Health Service expansion

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:55:07 GMT

Construction is now underway on the expansion of Mala’la Health Service that will improve access to health care for the Maningrida community.

The project will deliver a new facility which will include a new rheumatic heart disease space, training room and more clinical rooms.

Key points

Completion of the build is expected by 2026.
This is an expansion of the original clinic site, not a relocation
Normal service delivery will continue throughout the build
Some unavoidable disruptions are expected during construction
Power and Water will update the community in advance of any service disruptions.

Service disruption

While Mala’la will continue to operate as normal throughout the construction period, some disruptions are extected.

These may include:

Temporary changes to clinic access points
Closure of parking locations
Closure of roads
Noise and construction activity
Planned power and water disruptions.

Power and Water Corporation will provide advance notice to the community of any scheduled disruption. Mala’la Health Service will also share updates the build progresses.

Maningrida is the Northern Territory’s largest remote community with approximately 3,500 residents across the township and surrounding homelands. The Mala’la clinic is one of the busiest in the Territory, recording over 40,000 client contacts each year. This expansion is a much needed invest in the region’s health infrastructure.

This project follows Mala’la Health Services’ transition to community control and continues its ongoing commitment to Indigenous-led, community-driven health care and service expansion in West Arnhem Land.

Celebrating our young people: Maningrida's first Youth Week

Fri, 30 May 2025 08:09:18 GMT

Youth Week in Maningrida

The first ever Youth Week festival was a week-long celebration of young people in Maningrida.

Held from 12 to 16 May, the week was an opportunity for everyone to come together to celebrate what it meant to be young in Maningrida today.

Each day featured activities and workshops supported by local and NT-based organisations all focused on youth engagement and expression.

At the Youth Centre and Maningrida College, Matteo Mastratisi from Break’N Barrierz ran daily dance workshops. Working closely with the community, he produced 'Maningrida, Stand Proud', a music video featuring a new song with lyrics in Burarra, which captured the week.

Watch now:

Young aspiring models also had their moment on the runway. Tiesha Munnich-Hewitt from BamalangMOB led a modelling session on posing and presentation. TEABBA Radio took photos of the emerging models, while Babbarra Women’s Centre provided outfits designed by local Maningrida women.

BoxFit NT ran daily boxing sessions from the basketball courts and the school, and West Arnhem Regional Council hosted round robin basketball competitions.

Free haircuts were also on offer throughout the week. The Deadly Hair Dude and Lee Babbs from Industrie Hair travelled from Darwin to give fresh cuts to Maningrida College students and the broader community.

At Maningrida College, a range of workshops helped students build confidence, learn new skills, and explore healthy choices. The Tackling Indigenous Smoking team worked with older students to encourage quitting smoking. iRespect and NO MORE ran workshops at the school and Murnun Men’s Shed, encouraging reflection on respectful relationships and social norms.

The school’s Lúrra Language and Culture Centre ran several cultural activities. Older boys attended spear-making sessions at the Men’s Shed, while the younger children made delicious damper outside of Nja-marleya. The Wellness team led pamper sessions for young women.

Mala’la, together with Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory, offered mobile and fixed screenings across the community. Each of our teams included local health workers, nurses and a doctor giving young people better access to culturally safe care in places they felt more comfortable.

On Friday night, hundreds gathered at the basketball courts for a community showcase. The evening opened with a breakdancing performance by the Maningrida Dance Crew, students from Maningrida College, and Break’N Barrierz.

Next was the runway show, featuring young models as young as five wearing traditional designs by Bábbarra Women’s Centre artists.

The night continued with a preview of the Maningrida Stand Proud music video and wrapped up with a community disco.

Thank you for your support

Youth Week wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our partners, volunteers and the community.

We would like to thank:

Nja-marleya
Maningrida College
Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation
Maningrida Progress Association
West Arnhem Regional Council
Bábbarra Women's Centre
Women’s Cultural Support Hub
NO MORE NT
CatholicCare
BamalangMOB
Darwin Youth Services
Northern Territory Government
AMSANT
Menzies
Lurra
Tackling Indigenous Smoking
Deadly Hair Dude
Industrie Hair
TEABBA Radio
National Indigenous Times
Murnun Men’s Shed

Mala’la is proud to support young people in Maningrida and the surrounding homelands to live strong, healthy lives.

More information

Learn more about Youth Week: http://malala.com.au/youthweek

Newsletter May

Tue, 27 May 2025 00:45:39 GMT

Mala'la Newsletter May

Youth Week, minister visit, job fair, staff training and more. Read the latest Mala'la newsletter now.

Healthy skin week 3-7 March 2025

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 03:00:04 GMT

1st Healthy skin week of 2025!

Maningrida has some of the highest rates of RHD and that’s why we run

Healthy Skin twice a year. With first one of 2025 was a huge success!

During this 5-day event, teams of doctors, nurses and community workers engaged visited homes across Maningrida doing skin assessments and treatments, checking for skin infections like scabies and providing education on how to keep our skin healthy.

We also had our nearer scan team situated at RHD, Youth Centre and providing house visits for heart scans.

We were also graced with Captain Cha Cha and Captain Jellyfish from the Starlight Foundation who made their way to Maningrida participating in activities around community.

We Recorded a total of 817 of participants getting skin checks and a total on 69 Heart scan done by our nearer scan team. a great achievement for all those involved.

Every day all participants of health checks and scans went into a raffle to win a prize such as mattress, lawnmower or washing machine and Pressure washers With with one of each prize being draw for each day

Thanks to all the volunteers doctors, nurses, starlight and Mala'la staff who contributed to such a great week

Christmas and New Year hours 24-25

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 07:17:48 GMT

Mala'la hours during Christmas and New Years

Lúrra Festival

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 22:45:22 GMT

Maningrida celebrated the Lúrra Festival on the 20th – 22nd September 2024. An event that showcases the amazing culture and music of the Top End Arnhem region. The festival kicked off with a bunggul, fashion event, sports, and live bands performance.

Our staff participated in this 3-day event: the Men’s Shed team with the spear throwing competition; Maningrida Dance organised a Dance Competition with J-MILLA as the guest judge; Women’s Hub and Menzies team set-up a booth during the Saturday market stalls and services; and the clinic staff as first aid volunteers.

Truly, everyone had fun, our staff had a wonderful time, and had the opportunity to immersed into the rich culture of Maningrida.

Special thanks to Njamarleya Justice Group for giving us the opportunity to be part of the Lúrra Festival and all Mala’la staff who volunteered.

“The Lúrra shows us, like our old people, that having deep law, culture and skill that is full of knowledge, is important for our people and our future. Communication and working together is very important. Its men and women, young and old working and learning together all day and all night. Everyone, including balanda, who come to our community should be learning our culture so we can work together, both ways, with respect.”

Health Professional of the Year Awards 2024

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 00:14:25 GMT

2024 NTPHN

Healthy Skin Week 6-9 August 2024

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 00:14:03 GMT

Heathy home, healthy skin, healthy heart!

From Tuesday 6 to 9 August, Mala'la Health carried out its biannual Healthy Skin Week in collaboration with Menzies, the Starlight Foundation and WARC.

During this four-day event, teams of doctors, nurses and community workers engaged with the community through house-to-house visits, providing education, skin assessments and treatments.

Captain Cha Cha and Captain Jellyfish from the Starlight Foundation also made their way to Maningrida showing some excellent dance moves and participating in activities around community.

Every day all participants of health checks and scans went into a raffle to win a prize such as mattress, lawnmower or washing machine with 12 winners being drawn throughout the week.

A total of 451 checks were made through the week.

A special thanks to Menzies, The Starlight Foundation, all volunteers and the community in making a spectacular week.

Womens Health Week

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 06:15:42 GMT

30th anniversary of Millie

During the period of April 15th to 19th, the bright pink Breast Screen bus, Millie, paid a visit to Maningrida. To coincide with this visit, Mala’la hosted a Women’s Health Week.

This year is particularly special as it marks Millie’s 30th anniversary, and we were delighted to have such a productive week.

Women who were 40 years and older were eligible for screening, while women of all ages were offered health screening by our exceptional women's health team. Jessie and Josie from the Women's Cultural Hub, as well as Tara and Norlisha from the Maningrida Healthy Women’s Project, set up a pamper station for the women while they waited. Additionally, all the women who were seen received a shirt that was specially screen printed locally by the Babbarra Women’s Centre.

Throughout the 5 days, a total of 94 women received a breast screen.

A special thanks to Rhiannon and Deirdre from Breast Screen NT, Jessie and Josie from Women’s Cultural Hub, Tara and Norlisha from Menzies, Ivy, Theresa, Frances and Karen from Mala’la Health, the Babbarra Women’s Centre, and Hasty Tasty for their contributions in making this week an amazing success.

Young and healthy

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 04:53:30 GMT

Young & Healthy

Monday 17th to Friday 21st of June Mala’la ran a Youth Health Week called Young and Healthy focusing on health screening and education.

Two teams comprising of community workers and nurses mobilised throughout Maningrida setting up in fixed and mobile locations offering young people health screens and providing education on healthy lifestyles and promoting safe practices.

On Tuesday the Women’s team provided an education session facilitated by the Women’s Cultural Hub at the youth center.

Each day all who participated in screening went into a raffle to win a prize.

A big thank you for the invaluable support provided by Barb from AMSANT who flew over to help out for the week and funding from NACCHO. Thank you to Mala’la staff Theresa, Valda, Alex and John and all the community members participated in the event.

A total of 207 screenings were completed during this remarkable week !

NT Nursing & Midwifery Awards

Sun, 19 May 2024 23:53:16 GMT

Congratulations

A big congratulations to our Rheumatic Heart Disease Team (RHD) Who on Saturday May 4th Won NT PHN's Team Excellence Award at the NT Nursing & Midwifery Awards. The team of Ana, Kurt, Jayden, Tawanda and Lisa has been amazing in promoting awareness of the causes of RHD and early detection and prevention of rheumatic fever.

Also, congratulations to Karen Yarnold, our Manager of Aged care & Community services who was a finalist in the Aged Care award.

And congratulations to Jessica Gatti, our Manager – Primary health care services who was a finalist in Leadership in primary health for NT nursing & midwifery Award.

Graduates Cert II Aboriginal Primary Health Care

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 06:12:41 GMT

A memorable and historical occasion

Graduation Day – Cert II Aboriginal Primary Health Care – Maningrida

On the 2nd of March 2023, the first-ever cohort to obtain formal health qualifications on-country, in Maningrida, made history, graduating with a Certificate II in Aboriginal Primary Health Care.

In February 2021, the Primary Health Care Clinic in Maningrida came officially under Aboriginal Community Control through Mala’la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation. Of the 32 local Aboriginal staff employed at the clinic at that time, only one was qualified (and had graduated over 30 years ago). The gap in course completion was largely due to various challenges with off-site learning. With Aboriginal Health Workers being a vital part of supporting better community health outcomes, it was evident that it was time for change.

With the support and funding from Northern Territory PHN, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations' Foundation Skills for Your Future program and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, a place-based training model was developed. The course was tailored to be delivered on-country, ensuring students could continue their family, cultural, work and community responsibilities whilst undertaking studies.

Ninti Training delivered engaging, fun and relatable learning. The tireless efforts of from trainers Miss V and Raelene Beale, contributed significantly to this success. Students further benefited from the on-ground support from Mala’la’s Training Coordinator, Seide Ramadani, and Workforce Coordinator, James Woods, overseeing the course and supporting students throughout the year to achieve their goals.

The graduation ceremony was a memorable and historical occasion. The ceremony was opened with a Welcome to Country by Traditional Owner, David Jones, followed by a welcome speech from Mala'la Chairperson and Senior Aboriginal Health Practitioner, Charlie Gunabarra. Following the official welcome, the students were invited to the stage where they were presented with their certificates. There were many tears and cheers from family, friends and colleagues around the room.

To end the night, guest speaker, NT Chief Aboriginal Health Practitioner, Iris Raye welcomed the new graduates to the health profession and imparted her passion for Aboriginal health care with the graduates.

Mala’la Health Service is immensely proud of our graduates, Eileen Gunabarra, Fabian Smith, Jermaine Namanurki, Kurt Brown, Natasha Bond and Shannon Brown. They undertook the course with courage and dedication and supported each other throughout. Their hard work, personal drive and professionalism will no doubt inspire future generations.

Students of the Year were Natasha Bond and Jermaine Namanurki, while the Ninti Training Award of Excellence was awarded to Fabian Smith.

Statements of Attainment were also awarded to our students Tiffy Taylor, Nikki Stewart, Jayden Smith and Simeon Darcy.

Celebrating 3-year partnership with Orange Sky Australia

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 02:16:42 GMT

3 years of Orange Sky in Maningrida

In September 2019, Mala'la met with Orange Sky Australia who shared our vision to improve health outcomes for people in remote communities. In a community with high numbers of Rheumatic Heart Disease, a partnership with Orange Sky would make a significant difference to the health of our people.

After a few months of planning, the Manayingkarírra van was launched in Maningrida on the 27th of January 2020.

Since then, the team on the ground have provided

️4,725 hours of connection
️4,934 washing cycles
60,000kg of clean laundry

To mark the van's 3rd birthday, community members were invited to join us for a celebration which opened with a welcome to country by Traditional Owner, David Jones.

Mala'la's chairperson and Aboriginal health worker, Charlie Gunabarra then shared a few words about the important service the van provides to our community and encouraged families to keep using the free industrial size washing machines and dryers.

A special thank you was given to our amazing Manayingkarírra Orange Sky team, Linton Nabegeyo and Gary Stewart, who were awarded with a Certificate of Appreciation for making it all happen on the ground.

We thank Orange Sky Australia for their vision and support over the years and look forward to the years ahead.

COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Maningrida community

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 03:51:29 GMT

COVID-19 Vaccination rates in Maningrida community

This graph shows the uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine in Maningrida since around July 2021, when the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine became available to the community.

As a result of significant local campaigning prior to the first vaccination drive, people in Maningrida responded in a very positive way, rolling up their sleeves up to protect their community.

Other marked increases, from 5 August 2021 and 10 January 2022 onwards, mark the dates when 12 to 15 year-olds and 5 to 11 year-olds (respectively) also became eligible for the vaccine.

As at the beginning of April 2022, 87% of those over the age of 16 are double vaccinated and 43% have received their third dose. 69% of those aged 12 to 15 year-old are also double vaccinated and just over half (54%) of 5 to 11 year-olds have received their first dose since January.

Transition to Community Controlled Primary Health Care Services

cloudapps@captovate.com.au (Michael Hawkes) — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 07:00:43 GMT

The final transition

01 FEBRUARY 2021

Today marks the first day of Community Controlled Primary Health Care Services for Maningrida and surrounding homelands.

An idea, which was first talked about in the early 2000’s, was put in motion in 2017 when the Mala’la Board of Directors decided that Community Control was the way forward.

With Mala’la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation and the Maningrida Health Centre (NT Health) becoming the one entity today, the Mala'la Board are delighted with this important development, whereby community control for Primary Health Care Services will be in the hands of Mala’la.

The transition has been a staged process with the first health programs transitioning in October 2019, followed by the transition of the mortuary in February 2020 and the remainder of programs in July 2020. Today is the last stage, with the Acute services and the clinic transitioning fully.

I'd like to acknowledged the good work done by NT Health in running the clinic for the past 45 years and we thank them for their support throughout the transition process over the past three years.

The excellent collaborative work done by Dr Christine Connors (NT Health), Ray Matthews (CEO, Mala’la) Michelle Nuske (NT Health) and Lesley Woolf (Mala’la) ensured that the transition process was kept on track and realised in a timely manner.

The transition working party made up of key NT Health and Commonwealth Health Department staff and ably led by Danny Keep (chairperson) were an integral part of decisions made in relation to the move to community control.

I am confident that the Maningrida community will benefit significantly by having community control in making decisions and determining future growth in the Primary Health arena.

Charlie Gunabarra

Chairperson

Mala'la Health Service Aboriginal Corporation

Transition of the Maningrida Health Centre to Mala'la Health Service

cloudapps@captovate.com.au (Michael Hawkes) — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 08:19:26 GMT

Mala'la Health Service is currently in the process of transitioning Maningrida Health Centre from Top End Health Service (TEHS) to Mala'la.

Who will be providing the Health Services?

Mala'la Health Service started managing the Rheumatic Heart Disease, Outstations, Child Health and Men's Health Programs in October 2019.

On 1st July 2020, Mala'la will be managing all other Health Programs - Chronic Disease, Women's and Maternal Health, Mental Health, and the Aboriginal workforce.

From 1st July until 31st December 2020, TEHS will still be in charge of the Clinic's Acute & Emergency Health Services. There will be 8 TEHS Nurses doing this work.

On 1st January 2021, Mala'la will be managing all Health Services, including the Health Centre, and Acute & Emergency Services.

What will the change mean for Maningrida people?

Mala'la staff already work in the Clinic, so the changes may not be obvious to begin with.

Still come to the Clinic if you are sick during the day
Still ring the same phone number if you are sick after hours
Still get medicine & other health treatments from the Clinic
Clinic staff will be offered jobs with Mala'la

Why is this change good for Maningrida Community and the Homelands?

Mala'la may bring in different ways to see sick people that will suit Maningrida better:

We want to increase employment of local Aboriginal staff
We want to support, help and listen to the Community
We have a better understanding of local needs because decisions are made by local people
We have access to more funding to help the Health Services needed for Maningrida Community

malala_health_service

Maningrida events for 2026

Download the 2026 calendar

Upcoming events

Stay updated

Mala'la Newsletter March 2026

Mala'la Newsletter March 2026

Mala'la Newsletter December 2025

Mala'la Newsletter December 2025

The Maningrida Footy Festival is back for 2025!

Kick the Habit

Sign up to play!

Bigger and better Mala’la health clinic

Mala'la Newsletter August 2025

Mala'la Newsletter August 2025

Construction commences on Mala'la Health Service expansion

Key points

Service disruption

Celebrating our young people: Maningrida's first Youth Week

Youth Week in Maningrida

Thank you for your support

More information

Newsletter May

Mala'la Newsletter May ﻿

Healthy skin week 3-7 March 2025

1st Healthy skin week of 2025!

Christmas and New Year hours 24-25

Mala'la hours during Christmas and New Years ﻿

Lúrra Festival

Health Professional of the Year Awards 2024

2024 NTPHN

Healthy Skin Week 6-9 August 2024

Heathy home, healthy skin, healthy heart!

Womens Health Week

30th anniversary of Millie

Young and healthy

Young & Healthy

NT Nursing & Midwifery Awards

Congratulations ﻿

Graduates Cert II Aboriginal Primary Health Care

A memorable and historical occasion

Celebrating 3-year partnership with Orange Sky Australia

3 years of Orange Sky in Maningrida

COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Maningrida community

COVID-19 Vaccination rates in Maningrida community

Transition to Community Controlled Primary Health Care Services

The final transition

Transition of the Maningrida Health Centre to Mala'la Health Service

Mala'la Newsletter May

Mala'la hours during Christmas and New Years

Congratulations