In a rundown youth centre in Leonora sits a whiteboard with the names of children who have slipped through the cracks.
Many have fallen victim to the dangers ever-present in the community like substance abuse, poverty and neglect, and so stop attending the sporting, dance and leadership programs on offer.
It is a list that Rene Reddingus keeps up as a reminder, but also in the hope of enticing them back.
He works tirelessly to stop that list growing, volunteering countless hours to run the life-changing programs he hopes provides the tools participants need to not just survive challenges in their backgrounds and the wider community, but to truly thrive.
"They're the next leaders, they're the next change makers, they're the next parents, they're going to influence and have a huge role to play in this community," he said.
"What is the community going to look like in 50 years? It starts with these young people walking with strong purpose, having strong values and a sense of self, so that they can be whatever they want to be in our community."
Getting the balance right
The programs, which have been running since 2017, involve peer enforcement and mentoring to get children on the right track.
"It's really having the balance between providing a safe environment, discipline, respect, and a great sense of direction," Mr Reddingius said.
"Because if you don't give [them] that opportunity, then it could be very negative, and they're getting up to no good."
Regional communities like Leonora have been in the spotlight as political leaders address concerns about alcohol abuse and youth crime.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton spent the last two days meeting Goldfields community leaders after four local shire presidents raised the alarm.
It also followed calls for the prime minister to visit WA communities struggling with the same issues as Alice Springs in the wake of his visit there last month.
Mr Dutton has been told the removal of the cashless debit card, which quarantines welfare payments from spending on alcohol but was discontinued in October, was responsible for a spike in alcohol-fuelled violence in regional and remote towns.
Solutions should be community-driven
But Mr Reddingius believes the focus needs to shift to longer-term solutions that are driven by people living and working on the frontlines.
"I think the government has played a role in the legacy of past decisions … but they can be a big part of the story moving forward in partnership with local people with local solutions," he said.
"We need resourcing, we need a local team here to be able to do this.
"If you have programs that have depth … and can show the difference of making good choices, versus bad choices … it's really important.
"Then you've got the role models that have lived experience in your community and that's really critical, especially for Aboriginal kids, seeing role models that come from where I come from."
'A refuge for our children'
It is those programs Geraldine Hogarth believes changed the life of her 14-year-old grandson, helping to set him on the right track.
"He was a naughty child who went on the streets and [did] naughty things," she said.
"Rene was the male figure that did not do alcohol, did not do drugs [and] he started the basketball and other things and took my grandchildren in.
"That youth centre is a refuge for our children and what we need is more money put into that place."
The senior Wongatha woman has spent decades working in Indigenous healthcare in Leonora and has witnessed the ups and downs of her community firsthand.
She remembers when the town tackled the issue of alcohol by stopping the selling of liquor after 9pm, something she believes remains effective.
She supports measures like the cashless debit card to limit how much alcohol people can purchase, but also wants longer-term solutions.
Problems mirrored across state
While the town of Leonora may be isolated, its problems are shared across many communities throughout the state.
For now, the state government's focus is on Carnarvon.
WA Premier Mark McGowan has flagged potentially introducing liquor restrictions as a measure to help address some of the problems facing the Gascoyne town, including anti-social behaviour.
"We're also looking at Carnarvon as a test-case as to what else we can do in terms of alcohol restrictions ... the issues there have been around for a long period of time," Mr McGowan said.
"Some, not all, of the local hotels and bottle shops have resisted supporting measures, so therefore that town has not had anything done, and that's why we'll be looking at that town up front."
Underlying issues need to be addressed
But in towns like Leonora and Laverton, an hour up the road, the local pubs have worked with local police to restrict takeaway alcohol sales during times of unrest.
So beefing up state powers to ban alcohol sales may not actually lead to much change.
Leonora's Shire President, Peter Craig, said there were underlying issues that needed to be addressed in the community.
"The state means to acknowledge the problems that we do have by saying it's an intergenerational problem, and the families need to be taking responsibility," he said.
"But some of these families aren't capable of doing that. They haven't had the support ... they can't comprehend what's right or wrong, because they're struggling with their own issues."
Mr Craig said mental health issues and FASD were key factors and without any local support, they could "continue for generations."
"To work with Aboriginal people, you need to have a strong relationship and build a strong relationship. You need to be in and around the communities all the time to build that relationship," he said.
"It's the people in the community here who know exactly what's going on, we don't need outsiders to tell us how we should do this or whatever, we know what we need."
'The answers are at the local level'
Rene Reddingius agreed, arguing long-term solutions should be tailored to the needs of individual towns.
"I would like to see government really support local needs, real people, work in partnership," he said.
"And let's not be tokenistic about it, let's get in there and walk together in the true sense.
"The answers are on the ground, the answers are at the local level, they're not in Canberra, they're not in Perth, they are wherever the issues are."
