TRANSCRIPT:
Malgana woman Neilisha Oakley has been working as a ranger for two years.
Her office is the World Heritage-Listed Gathaagudu, or Shark Bay, in Western Australia, considered one of the world's greatest wilderness treasures.
"If you look around, like the landscapes, the colours, there's nowhere else in the world like Shark Bay."
Her work includes using cameras to monitor local wildlife.
"So we do lots of fauna and flora. Eradication of feral animals. I do lots of camera monitoring and data. Lots of fencing. And I also get to jump on board with the ERP, which is the Ecological Restoration Program over at Dirk Hartog Island. And I've done a bit of work with the marine community down in Kensington and a few of the scientists over there as well."
But her biggest passion in this vast land is people.
"The favourite parts of my job is working with different people from different walks of life. The wildlife that I get to see, and the Country I get to show all the other guys that haven't been here."
Ms Oakley says she started work as a ranger two years ago to get a better connection with the land and bear a unique responsibility passed on by Elders who've cared for the land before her.
"So I applied for the job because I wanted to be out on Country more. I feel it's good for your soul. And I also feel it's up to us young guys to step up and do what our Elders once did. I think the Elders who have passed, or who no longer have the ability to come out on Country because they are quite elderly, they would be very, very proud of not just myself, but my cousins that work in the office as well. It was once upon a time them doing what we're doing."
She says changes to the way country is managed have opened the door to more work opportunities.
"Obviously in the past years there wasn't as many opportunities, but with the whole joint management that's now in place, it's the perfect opportunity for any Malgana person to put their hand up, come out on Country and help us."
