Rex McGrady, a participant in the Wandhala Drone Project and a member of the Panja Brigalow Gnabuwal Aboriginal Corporation, developed drone technology skills that can be used to both care for Country and create opportunities for young people to reconnect with their heritage.

Emma-Jade Turaganivalu from Cherbourg, developed new skills in drone technology through the Wandhala Drone Project. The training opening up creative possibilities for her own business in photography and videography, while also providing practical tools for future opportunities.

Edison Smalley participated in the Wandhala Drone Project to develop new skills. Originally from Aotearoa, New Zealand and now living in Toowoomba, Edison wanted to explore new opportunities with drone technology.

Jackson Shillingsworth, a Project Delivery Officer with Southern Queensland Landscapes, has been in Cherbourg working alongside community members through the Wandhala Drone Project. What excites Jackson the most are the long-term benefits, stronger communities and sustainable pathways for future generations.

Jacinda Ibrahim, a participant in the Wandhala Drone Project, is embracing new technology to connect with Country in ways her ancestors could only dream of. From the South Burnett, she will use her new skills to explore places once out of reach, to ultimately pass knowledge between generations.

Brett is a commercial builder based in Toowoomba who is embracing drone technology to expand his skillset. Brett can see the potential of using his drone skills across many areas, from supporting construction projects, to mapping cultural heritage sites along the Nebine River and helping manage feral animals on Indigenous Protected Areas to protect culture, land, and community.

Abby Duncan, from Mungindi on the Queensland–New South Wales border, participated in the Wandhala Drone Project to explore how drones can support cultural and environmental management. For Abby, drones provide the ability to monitor cultural burning from above, seeing before-and-after impacts on Country, from vegetation recovery to the return of birds and wildlife.

Katrina Hazard, Director of the Auburn Hawkwood People Aboriginal Corporation and  based in Mackay, participated in the Wandhala Drone Project. Katrina is exploring how drones can help care for Country, from monitoring waterways and erosion to fire management and cultural heritage protection. For Katrina, drones also provide a powerful way to connect community members who can’t always return to Country, by bringing images and knowledge back home.

Jason Lingwoodok is a director of the Panja Brigalow Aboriginal Corporation in Toowoomba, and took part in the Wandhala Drone Project to build new skills in drone technology. For Jason, drones open up possibilities for cultural walks and monitoring Country in places that are often difficult to reach, such as creeks and rugged terrain.

Chrissy Bond took part in the Wandhala Drone Project through Southern Qld Landscapes, to explore how drone footage could be used by the local Cherbourg radio station.

As the radio station manager, Chrissy is looking forward to using the drone footage for social media content and other video footage. She said that learning how to control and fly a drone has been fantastic.

Malcolm Brown is a coordinator at the Bigambul Rangers Goondiwindi, and recently took part in the Wandhala Drone Project to learn new drone skills for reporting and mapping. 



Bigambul Rangers integrate traditional land management knowledge with modern environmental monitoring. The drone technology will support safer burn practices, pre and post burn monitoring, environmental reporting and precision data collection across Country. It also strengthens Indigenous led environmental services and builds capacity for future advanced drone applications within the organisation.

Malcolm realised after completing the course, that it would also be a useful tool for elders who can't get out on Country but would like have a visual view.

John Coulombe is the Lead Drone Trainer for the Wandhala Drone Project. Through this project, John is guiding participants as they explore how drones can be used for land management, disaster response, and community safety. His passion for sharing knowledge is helping to open new pathways and possibilities.

Goondiwindi local Ben Fleay participated in the Wandhala Drone Project, to develop new skills and support his career in natural resource management, recognising drone technology as an efficient and innovative way to collect environmental data.

Bigambul Ranger Chloe Turnbull, travelled more than 90 kilometres each day to take part in the Wandhala Drone Project. She believes drone technology will play an important role in caring for and monitoring Country into the future.

Goondiwindi local, Christopher Hippi, took part in the Wandhala Drone Project to gain his drone licence, recognising it as a valuable skill that will support his work as a ranger.

Jason Scott, representing the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation and First Nations Fire Fighters in the Goondiwindi region, said the Wandhala Drone Project course highlighted the incredible value of drone technology for capturing data and delivering reports to Elders and community groups about Country. He believes drone skills should become an essential part of any toolkit for rangers involved in cultural burning, cultural mapping and land management activities.

Goondiwindi local Michael Maxwell, who works with the Bigambul Rangers, said the drone course demonstrated how valuable the technology is for accessing areas that are difficult to reach on foot. He enjoyed learning about drone technology and believes the skills will be highly valuable for rangers and land management work into the future.

St George First Nations Ranger, Peter Prince, said completing the Wandhala Drone Project course highlighted the many ways drone technology can support land management, including cultural burns, identifying weed outbreaks and creating new opportunities for rangers working on Country.