Maxgrad
You're absolutely right about the leadership in the community. When I was flying around the NT out of DN, there was a lovely little community just to the left of the Darwin-Port Keats track, I think it was called Pularumpa (or something like that). I seem to remember it was a "wet" community, but what a great little spot. I used to be met at the strip by several locals to see if I needed a hand with freight etc. The town was lovely with the locals so proud of the veges they were growing etc. Quite a stark contrast to Port Keats, where I went to deliver an occupied coffin only to spend 2 hours trying to find someone to accept the "frieght". In the end the local coppers took the cask. No family, friends or other!
As for the practice of keeping cards etc...it was standard practice for the owner to come in at 6am and start swiping cards. He had around 3 or 4 of those business card booklets, I guess somewhere between 100-200 cards. It was common practice for the "clients" to tell the bank they lost their card, get it reissued and then spend it on grog and therefore not able to buy flights or food for their family.
Interestingly, I took some govt reps up to BTI for a meeting with the elders around 2001 of which I sat in on (it was an open-air meeting). The gist of the meeting was that the community wanted MORE funding to combat the highest rates of teenage suicide, domestic violence and drug addiction per head of population in the country. That BTI was already the highest funded community per head of population (by a long shot) for all these problems went completely over the heads of the elders and their lawyers.
Try asking any community storeholder to explain "stock shrinkage" to you. The reasons are tragic and unfair for all parties.
And finally, what a fantastic little place Nardidi is. A wet community just over the river from Wadeye (a "dry one). Often when I landed there the prop hadn't even stopped and the back door was opened to unload the precious cargo of 34 slabs of green can and a couplda baaarunga reedge for da lehdies (in the nose locker).
These are all experiences. Some you like, some you don't like, but they all come together to give you character.
Enough rambling...bed is calling.