Ten years on from a riot that erupted in the centre of Western Australia's gold capital, some local leaders say not enough has been done to engage the region's youth.
WARNING: This article contains information about an Indigenous person who is deceased.
It was August 30, 2016, when 200 people descended on Kalgoorlie's main street in anger.
The day before, 14-year-old Elijah Doughty had been killed when he was run over by a man attempting to recover a stolen motorbike.
The community was expressing frustrations at what they described as racism that had reached "boiling point".
A protest broke out in front of the local court house, where a 55-year-old man made his first appearance on charges related to the teenager's death.
The man, whose identity is suppressed, was later found not guilty of manslaughter, but was convicted of a lesser charge of dangerous driving occasioning death, and sentenced to three years in jail.
As the court proceedings ended, Indigenous leaders and the community turned their attention to what needed to change in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Big promises
The spotlight was on Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 600 kilometres east of Perth, which resulted in state and federal politicians flying into the city for a summit to address racial tensions and social issues in the community
The summit identified eight key areas for improvement, with the lack of targeted family and youth support identified as the number one issue holding back the city.
Youth centres such as a safe house and drop-in centre were identified as priorities, with relatives, experts, youth, and teachers saying the town was in dire need of more dedicated targeted support.
Despite the attention and agreements made, some on the ground say not much has changed 10 years later.
A decade on
Bill Ring is the chair of the Eastern Goldfields First Nations Council and a former youth justice worker who has spent years fighting for better outcomes for Indigenous youth in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Mr Ring said he had seen improvements, but feared politicians had forgotten about the issues identified as time had passed.
"There's a lot of ideas chucked around by what can be changed with youth … one thing that was brought up was a drop-in centre," he said.
"That could have been one of the things that could have happened, and also support for young people who are sort of going through a rough time … like through community camps and things like that.
"But those didn't eventuate and it just got mothballed."
Eastern Goldfields First Nations Council vice-chair Leanne Eriksen said there was a strong push for many of the outcomes of the forum to be community-led.
She said there was little follow-up to actions promised in the forum.
"[There's a] lack of integrity around follow-through, listening to community voices, and then actually managing and maintaining these programs and services and actions," Ms Eriksen said.
"It was another of those situations where a critical incident happens and then government at all levels obviously [jump] into the space," Ms Eriksen said.
So what changed?
Items that were actioned by the state Liberal government at the time included re-opening Kalgoorlie's Department of Indigenous Affairs office, which had been closed in 2015.
The Federal Government also provided $660,000 towards expanding the Goldfields Land and Sea Council's ranger program as another pathway.
In 2017, the Police and Community Youth Centre (PCYC) received federal government funding to run safeSPACE, a service aimed at early intervention and engagement.
Mr Ring said the PCYC programs were a step in the right direction, but the community wanted a dedicated centre for all youth.
He also believes some young people may be put off by the presence of police, and that a better result would come from a dedicated cross-cultural centre.
Aboriginal-led night space services in other parts of the state provide refuge, food, and activities for young people.
"You've got places up in the Kimberley, in Wyndham, they used to run their own sort of youth hub and they have programs and they set the program themselves and that works," Mr Ring said.
"So why can't it work in the Goldfields?"
The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has not ruled out the idea of a drop-in centre, with its youth action plan stating it was "exploring" the feasibility of an indoor drop-in space.
Manager of community development Lauren Chapman-Holle said the city was running ongoing activities to engage with young people.
"It's less-intensive than a full-scale drop-in centre, but it's trying to find the right model that works for the community," she said.
WA Premier Roger Cook didn't have an answer as to why Kalgoorlie-Boulder does not have a drop-in centre, but said it was important to ensure social services were made available to young people.
An alternative model
Leonora, 200km north of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, has a population of 567 and has introduced programs to engage young people with similar issues.
Rene Reddingius is the coach of the Blazers Basketball team, which aims to provide young people with a sense of purpose.
"Our program is using basketball as a conduit to engage kids and build life skills and a sense of purpose," he said.
"By implementing the program and, you know, developing strong relationships and safe places for children, children will choose to come to a space or engage.
Community leader Colleen Berry, who operates a women's community hub in the town, believes Kalgoorlie needs a similar program.
"[Without support] they'll continue down the road they're going until … they turn 18 [and then] they will be going to the big boys' prison, and we don't want that.
"We don't want that because it's not good."
