Mornington Island’s only grocery store and takeaway outlet are under new management, the store’s directors announced today.

Nitjpurru’s (Pigeon Hole) only store is fully stocked and ready to welcome repatriated residents, after the remote community was evacuated four months ago due to severe flooding.

Remote residents of Urapunga have reduced consumption of sugary drinks in their store by 43 percent in the past year, due to a range of sugar-reduction measures implemented by store directors.

Outback Stores’ Training Officer, Caraline “Dotty” Repu, was awarded 2022 NT Training Awards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year, at a gala awards ceremony held over the weekend in Darwin.

Beswick community celebrated the grand opening of the Beswick Bistro this week, made possible through the local store’s community benefit fund.

Outback Stores is currently experiencing logistical challenges in maintaining food supply to several remote Indigenous communities due to the flooding of the Stuart Highway and localised flooding across Central Australia.

As the Delta strain of COVID-19 continues to threaten remote communities, Outback Stores recognises that being vaccinated is one of the key contributing factors to saving lives and reducing the likelihood of spreading the virus to others.

The year to June 2021 saw 8 tonnes less sugar consumed* and 508 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables sold across the 41 remote Indigenous communities serviced by Outback Stores.

The Beswick Store board of directors last week approved its largest social development distribution to the community, worth $150,000.

The remote community of Ngukurr this week received road transport deliveries of food for the first time since flooding closed roads to the Roper community on 28 January.