Tristen joins our team

A ground-breaking partnership between Newcrest and the Department of Sport and Recreation has seen former Collingwood AFL player Tristen Walker enlisted to help communities in the Western Desert achieve their own goals in sport and recreation. Newcrest recently appointed Tristen as the Indigenous Sports Development Officer for the region. He has been employed on a fly-in-fly-out basis and is based at Telfer.

Tristen’s main mission is to get more Indigenous people from the region involved in sport and recreation and adopting healthy lifestyles.

He will run programs designed to improve participation and skill levels in a range of sports and enhance recreational pursuits. DSR Director General Ron Alexander said the decision to base Walker at Telfer was expected to result in better sport and recreation services and opportunities for Indigenous communities throughout the Western Desert.

“I am delighted that Newcrest has been able to secure Tristen in this role in what is the first agreement of its kind in Australia for this national Indigenous Sports Program,” Ron Alexander said. “Geographically, Telfer is in a good position as a base from which to travel to each of the communities and, as a result, people in each of these communities will see the ISDO more often and will reap the benefits of improved participation and skill levels in a range of sport and recreational pursuits.”

Telfer’s Community Relations Superintendent Leon van Erp said the partnership was great news for people in the Western Desert region. “This is a good example of the strong level of cooperation that has been developed between Newcrest and the Department of Sport and Recreation over several years,” he said. “Tristen has a wealth of experience, skills and stories to share with people in the communities and their aspiring sports men and women.”