Wingecarribee Shire Council acknowledges the Gundungurra and Tharawal people as the traditional custodians of this place we now call the Wingecarribee Shire.
There is a strong association to the Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Nattai rivers. These rivers are connected to culture, dreaming and songlines.
Council provides a number of initiatives to promote and celebrate Aboriginal culture within the Wingecarribee Shire.
Aboriginal Community Development Officer (ACDO)
The Aboriginal Community Development Officer’s role is a vital link between the Aboriginal community of the Wingecarribee and Council. The ACDO role involves promoting Council’s facilities and services to community and providing advice to Council of the issues and needs of Aboriginal communities.
The Aboriginal Community Development Officer can be contacted at Wingecarribee Shire Council on 02 4868 0888.
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The Mob Walking Group @ Bowral Hospital
A walking group for the community; come for a yarn, walk and lunch.
When: Every Tuesday
Time: 11.30am - 12.30pm
Where: Meet at Tharawal Clinic, Bowral Hospital
For more information please contact Joyce on 02 4861 0247 or 0477 328 465.
Springwater Tots Aboriginal Supported Playgroup
Aboriginal Supported Playgroup with skilled early childhood workers.
When: Every Monday
Time: 10am - 12pm
Where: 1A Crimea Street, Balaclava NSW
For bookings or more information please phone 02 4872 2777 or email kelly@wfss.org.au.
National Wildlife and Parks Services – Morton Park
National Wildlife and Parks offers insights into the Aboriginal history of the region with Aboriginal Cultural walks. Discovery rangers can tailor specific environmental programmes for schools, tour groups and communities.
Website: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/conservation-and-heritage/aboriginal-culture
Telephone: 02 4887 7270
Fax: 02 4887 7203
Dhungung (Food) Share
The Dhungung (Food) Share is an initiative that provides Aboriginal people and their families access to quality excess food.
During the Covid-19 pandemic the food security program will continue, although social distancing rules apply. The following changes have been made to ensure the safety of the community:
1. Pick up ONLY
2. 10:30-11:30am
3. No people are to enter the centre, pick up at the door
4. No services reps providing Outreach (until further notice)
5. Please follow the social distancing rules on arrival
Wingecarribee Aboriginal Cultural Centre
1A Rainbow Rd, Mittagong
For more information please call Melissa on 02 48680 888 or email mail@wsc.nsw.gov.au
Springwater Tots Aboriginal Supported Playgroup
When: Every Monday
Time: 10am -12pm
Address: 1A Crimea Street, Balaclava NSW 2575
Aboriginal Supported Playgroup
For Children 0 - 5 years old
Free nutrition lunch provided
Includes social and cultural connections
Please call Kelly to book in: 02 4862 1777
Wingecarribee Aboriginal Community Cultural Centre
Address: 1A Rainbow Rd, Mittagong, NSW, 2575
The centre is available for small events, workshops and meetings.
Please note that this is a alcohol and smoke free venue.
Bookings and Further Information
For all enquiries contact:
Aboriginal Community Development Officer
Phone: 02 4868 0888
Email: mail@wsc.nsw.gov.au
Wingecarribee Aboriginal Network
The Wingecarribee Aboriginal Network meets the last Tuesday of the month at the Wingecarribee Aboriginal Community Cultural Centre.
Address: 1A Rainbow Rd, Mittagong, NSW, 2575
Contact: Rodney Cook
Email: Rodney.COOK@network.pmc.gov.au
Wingecarribee Reconciliation Group Inc
Platypus Dreamin' (Aboriginal Educational Program)
Contact: Wendy Lotter
Telephone: 0422 631 243
Email: platypusdreamin@gmail.com
Address: 1A Rainbow Rd, Mittagong, NSW, 2575
The centre is available for small events, workshops and meetings.
Please note that this is an alcohol and smoke free venue.
Bookings and Further Information
For all centre enquiries and bookings contact:
Aboriginal Community Development Officer
Phone: 02 4868 0888
Email: mail@wsc.nsw.gov.au
The Wingecarribee Shire Council acknowledges the Gundungurra and “Tharawal” or “Dharawal” (as it is referred to in historical records) people as the traditional custodians of this place we now call the Wingecarribee Shire.
There is a strong association to the Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Nattai rivers. These rivers are connected to their culture, dreaming and songlines.
A Dreamtime creation story, Gurangatch and Mirragan, speaks about how this whole countryside came into being. The story describes an almighty struggle between two ancestral creator spirits, one a giant eel-like creature, Gurangatch, an incarnation of the ancestral rainbow serpent, and the other, a large native cat or quoll, Mirragan.
In spite of the impact of European settlement of Australia, the Gundungurra and Dharawal Aboriginal heritage has not been extinguished. The remains of prehistoric and historic Aboriginal occupation exists throughout the Southern Highlands.
State Government records indicate that there are over 400 significant Aboriginal sites within the Shire, including 86 sites or objects that exist in the vicinity of Council-managed land or roadside reserves.
There is one sacred Aboriginal Place in Wingecarribee Shire, called Nungungnungulla (Jubilee Rocks). This Aboriginal cultural heritage site was declared by the State Government as the 100th Aboriginal Place in NSW. Nungungnungulla is a significant Aboriginal landmark in the Gundungurra cultural landscape, where Aboriginal engravings, paintings and stencils, grinding grooves, scarred trees and campsites occur. It is a teaching place for educating children about Dreamtime creation stories, Aboriginal culture and its associated values and practices.
Wingecarribee Shire Council recognises that by acknowledging our past, we are laying the groundwork for a future which embraces all Australians; a future based on mutual respect and shared responsibility for our land.
26th January - Invasion Day or Survival Day
January 26 was nominated as Australia Day to celebrate the anniversary of white settlement. It commemorates the ceremonious unfurling of the British flag at the head of Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip in 1788. By the beginning of the 21st century, however, it was also recognised as a day of mourning for the invasion and dispossession of Australia's Aboriginal people.
The 1988 Bicentenary Australia Day celebrations in Sydney were marked by a huge and well-organised gathering and protest march by the Aboriginal community, many of whom had travelled to Sydney from all over the country.
Many Aborigines who took part in the Bicentennial marches felt they would like to have an alternative celebration of how their history and culture had survived. The first Survival concert, held in 1992, reflected a major shift away from the traditionally-named Australia Day to Invasion Day.
Regionally across New South Wales, an increasing number of Aboriginal communities are participating in their local Australia/Survival Day ceremonies and celebrations. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands flags are raised alongside the Australian flag. High profile Aboriginal people take the role of key-note speakers for the Australia Day Council, as well as local Australia Day Committees.
13th February - National Apology Day
19th March - National Close the Gap Day
26th May - National Sorry Day
The National Sorry Day Committee was established in 1998 and has been incorporated since January 2001. From the beginning, the NSDC has worked with the commitment, dedication and involvement of both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians.
National Sorry Day is commemorated on May 26 each year to acknowledge the Stolen Generations. Celebrations in 2008 marked the 10th Anniversary of the "Bringing them Home Report". In addition, Sorry Day 2008 celebrated the monumental act of Acknowledgement and Apology by the new Australian Parliament that took place on 13 February.
Further information is available on the National Sorry Day Committee Inc website.
27th May - Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum
27th May to 3 June - Reconciliation Week
Each year National Reconciliation Week (May 27- June 3) celebrates the rich culture and history of the first Australians. It's the ideal time for all of us to join the reconciliation conversation and to think about how we can help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
National Reconciliation Week celebrates the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and all other Australians.
1st July - Coming of the Light
3rd July to 10th July - National NAIDOC week
4th August - National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day
9th August - International Day of the Worlds’ Indigenous Peoples
3rd September - Indigenous Literacy Day
13th September - Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
Aboriginal Flag
The Aboriginal flag was recognised under Federal legislation, as was the Torres Strait Islands flag, in July 1995. The Aboriginal flag was first displayed on 12 July 1971, National Aborigines' Day at Victoria Square in Adelaide. It was also used at the 'Tent Embassy' in Canberra in 1972.
Designed by Aboriginal Elder Harold Thomas in 1971, this flag symbolises Aboriginal identity. Yellow represents the sun (giver of life) and yellow ochre. Red represents the red earth (the relationship to the land) and the red ochre used in ceremonies. Black represents the Aboriginal people.
The flag is flown or displayed permanently at Aboriginal centres throughout Australia. It is popularly recognised as the flag of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia and should only be flown by other Australians when permission has been granted.
Torres Strait Islander Flag
The flag, designed by Islander Mr Bernard Namok, was adopted in 1992. Green represents the islands, blue the sea and black the local Melanesian people. A stylised dancer's head-dress known as a DARI, and a five pointed star appear on the flag. The star alludes to the five main island zones and is sometimes interpreted as a symbol of the 'Coming of the Light' in Christianity.