PARNNGURR RESIDENT CALLS FOR THE RESIGNATION OF COMMUNITY CEO

The CEO of an Indigenous community in the Great Sandy Desert is due to appear in court today following multiple incidents including allegations he blocked passage of a plane entering the community. 

Parnngurr community is in the midst of disarray following the community CEO Ian Underwood leaving the community after the Australian newspaper released a story revealing his plans to open an alcohol shop in the dry community. 

The 54-year-old is due to appear in the South Hedland Magistrates Court on two separate occasions, today with the charges of failing to ensure the safekeeping of a firearm, endanger to life, health safety of a person. He will also appear on January 12th, 2022 on the offence of threat with intent to prevent and hinder a person doing an act.

A Parnngurr resident, Darryl Jones, has expressed he would like to see the resignation of Mr. Underwood after multiple incidents, in which he felt community elders were used to furthering Mr. Underwood's agenda. 

“The community right now is upside down and he is making bad enemies from family to family. He just took off, never let anybody know.  He’s been using all the elders and just left them behind with nothing. 

“He’s been in the community since 2018 and using the people to get all the stuff. He took the machines.  He took the truck to Queensland.  He was doing the bad things for people in Parnngurr, stopping tourists and mining companies and using the old people to back him up.

Mr. Jones hopes the community will go on to elect a CEO from within the community.

He’s out there somewhere in Queensland still working for Parnngurr, getting phone calls from people, and running the community. 

We want to get someone else to run Parnngurr, another CEO, we don’t want Ian.