Worth the challenge | Maintaining grass in the desert

IT COULD be argued that Abi has one of the toughest jobs in the world.

Working out of the small Eastern Arrernte community of Ltyentye Apurte, 85km south-east of Alice Springs, he is the groundskeeper for the local oval.

He spends his days (and nights) keeping the grass green on an oval in the middle of the Australian desert, where the combination of weather and equipment make the task all the more difficult.

However, in this challenge comes joy, with Abi relishing the sense of connection created in the work he does daily.

“It makes me so happy, especially when all the communities come here and we have our sports weekends,” Abi said.

“People come here, see our oval, and think it's wonderful to have, in the middle of the desert, a [grassed] oval.”

The Jim Stynes Foundation partners with the ACCC (Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation) and through this partnership, the oval has existed as a community hub since 2021.

The idea for a grassed oval first came to life in 2017 when the Melbourne Football Club, a partner of the Jim Stynes Foundation, first connected with the community of Ltyentye Apurte. During this visit, the people of the town shared their dream of having a grassed oval in town.

The Santa Teresa Project was then announced in 2019, the club raising funds to turn a dream into a reality for the people of Ltyentye Apurte.

After four years of working to get the orange dirt turned into green grass, the oval was unveiled in 2021 and was dubbed the ‘MCG of the Desert’.

The oval features goal posts delivered from the MCG and lights funded by the Central Land Council.

Since then, the oval has seen many football games, sports tournaments, concerts, markets and other activities, becoming the epicentre for the community.

However, it’s not been an easy five years keeping it maintained.

Firstly, the Central Australian climate isn’t necessarily the perfect one for grass to exist year-round.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology the mean maximum temperate for Alice Springs and surrounding areas is 28.2 digress (celsius), while only averaging 29 days of rainfall throughout the year.

Secondly, the equipment that comes with keeping an oval green can be expensive, with sprinklers and water tanks often requiring regular maintenance.

“When I first came, the place was very dry and on the first night when the sprinklers came up, I saw all the problems with them,” Abi said.

“There are areas that are completely dry [at the moment] because of water issues. You can see some of the sprinklers have problems with leaks.

“When the sprinklers are finished, they can get stuck, because there's a lot of calcium in the water.”

Through the Jim Stynes Foundation partnership, Abi and the community have been supported in maintaining the oval, the Foundation funding the required water and equipment needed.

While the job is tough, it’s something Abi remains steadfast in, providing the community with the hub they love so dearly.

“There are challenges, but we keep it going,” Abi said.

“We want to maintain it. We don't it going back to that dusty oval - it's for the kids and the youth.

“If we have continuous access to water, if the sprinklers are working, even in summer it will be okay and we’ll be happy.”

You can help Abi maintain the grassed oval in Ltyentye Apurte by donating to the Jim Stynes Foundation here.