Our Story Begins Here

In the early 1990s, Aboriginal families in the Goldfields faced heartbreaking health challenges that called for change.

It was from this time of need and courage that Ngunytju Tjitji Pirni was born — a community-led response built on trust, culture, and care, ensuring that future generations of women and children would have access to the support and health services they deserve.

This 1994 ABC Goldfields-Esperance story focused on the Aboriginal health problem facing the Wongi people in Kalgoorlie.

At the time, the life expectancy of Aboriginal mothers was just 42 and the death rate in babies was three times higher than the national average.

It forced paediatricians like Dr Christine Jeffries to dispense with conventional methods and come up with entirely new ways of approaching community health.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised this story contains images of people who may have died.