Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA) held a traditional Garni (digging stick) ceremony to mark the start of construction of the Dja Dja Wurrung Corporate and Community Centre on Hattam Street, Golden Square.
Nadia and Wendy from 3KND attended this important event to keep community connected.
Dja Dja Wurrung Group CEO Rodney Carter and DDWCAC Board Chair Trent Nelson were joined by Dja Dja Wurrung Elders, Aunty Linda Ford & Aunty Milly Taylor, the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Gabrielle Williams, the Deputy Premier, Member for Bendigo East Jacinta, the CEO of Djarra, Cassandra Lewis, Ms. Lisa Chesters MP, and the Hon. Maree Edwards.
2023 sees Djarra celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Recognition and Settlement Agreement. It is a critical moment in Dja Dja Wurrung history – the beginning of construction on our new corporate home,” Mr Carter said.
“It will be a place for us to work together to create a future for Central Victorians that would make all of our Dja Dja Wurrung Ancestors proud.”
The Corporate and Community Centre, a long-standing dream of the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA), will revitalise the site of the former Golden Square High School, which has lain bare since the school was demolished in 2009.
The centre will be the permanent base for the Dja Dja Wurrung Group’s corporate and business operations.
“Our corporate home will help us to realise economic opportunities and become self-sustaining,” Mr Carter said.
“It will honour the survival of the Dja Dja Wurrung People. Here, we will celebrate and share our culture, heal our people and improve community wellbeing.”
The centre will house a growing collection of cultural heritage artefacts, DJAARA’s emerging agriculture business, and the expansion of cultural and natural resource management services.
It will also be a venue for arts and cultural events, and a multi-purpose space that can be used by other businesses and the wider public.
Features will include a general-purpose laboratory, spaces for learning and interaction, a theatrette, meeting areas, yarning and ceremonial spaces, and areas for reflection.
The Dja Dja Wurrung Corporate and Community Centre will be built on land that the Victorian Government handed back to Dja Dja Wurrung People in February 2022.
The government has also provided $11.288 million to develop and construct the centre.
DJAARA is leading the project in partnership with the State Government, City of Greater Bendigo and The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.
3KND Keeping Community Connected