This month Watnanda Consulting started to finalise the completion of projects and plan for the next six months of 2019.

Activities/Meetings attended

I had the opportunity to attend the AGM of the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation at Lake Condah Mission. It was fulfilling to travel back down to Country, catch up with relations, talk to Elders and take time out.

Projects

The Regional Development Australia (RDA) – Murray was invited to speak at the Riverina/ Murray Alliance ?? meeting in Wagga Wagga to report back to community leaders the outcomes of the project so far.  I was invited by RDA to go along to share the outcome of the information gathered and for questions to be asked.  It was a privilege for this opportunity to be involved in this project.

Link: http://www.rdamurray.org.au/

The Wodonga City Council has engaged me to get feedback on the Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan from the Aboriginal community stakeholders. This project was completed and submitted.

Link: https://www.wodonga.vic.gov.au/

The Centre for Continuing Education (Wangaratta) has engaged me to establish and facilitate an advisory group for the Strengthen Family Connections program. This project is going to be so beneficial to all Aboriginal families who participate. The aim is for the Strengthening Family connections program to be piloted in Wangaratta in February 2019. Rosie Koop and I have nearly completed all the children’s, parents/carers, and the group sessions are on track to be completed by the next Advisory group meeting in February 2019.

Link: https://www.thecentre.vic.edu.au/

The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (Shepparton) has engaged me to find out what are the current practices and opportunity for Jobs for Aboriginal people in the Natural Resources Management (NRM) in the Hume Region. This month has been compiling the information gathered over the past 2 months. This project was completed and submitted.

I was really grateful to be asked to take on another contract by the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (Shepparton) to find out the education and training opportunities in the Hume Region for young Aboriginal people wanting a career in the Natural Resource Management sector.

Link:    https://www.gbcma.vic.gov.au/

 

 

Victorian Treaty Community Engagement Project

During this month I have been planning the travels I will be doing to hear the voices of Aboriginal people in the North East of Victoria on their aspirations for a Victorian Treaty.

Link: http://victreatyadvancement.org.au/

 

It has been a very busy month for Watnanda Consulting; writing tenders, planning, coordinating and finishing up projects has made the time go very quickly.

Catherine and I would like to welcome to Emma Mangion to Watnanda Consulting. Emma has been working on the Wodonga City Council community feedback project with me. Emma has done a wonderful job which has allowed her to work within Wodonga Aboriginal Community.

Activities & Meetings attended

Possum Skin Cloak Workshop

The Wodonga Aboriginal Network held a Possum Skin workshop at Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service on Saturday 24 November 2018.  We had 6 family groups represented and the workshop was facilitated by Yarran Bundle. Another possum skin workshop will be held early in 2019, so watch out for the flyers providing the details.

The Regional Local Aboriginal Network Forum

Catherine, Annie and I attended the Regional Local Aboriginal Network Forum in Shepparton. The first day provided presentations on what activities the Local Aboriginal Networks have been doing, an opportunity to network across the North East of Victoria. The second day was visiting specific places in Shepparton for example the morals acknowledging significant people who have created change for Aboriginal people over the years; visited the Shepparton Art Gallery and the current Aboriginal exhibition and we visited the Rumbalara Aged Care.

Ovens Murray Aboriginal Governance Committee

This month I attended the Ovens Murray Aboriginal Governance Committee. The Ovens Murray Aboriginal Governance Committee is in the early phase of setting up ‘to provide a forum to capture Aboriginal perspectives, aspirations and challenges for their communities and identify actions that need to be addressed’ (ToR, DHHS). If you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and interested in sitting on this committee, please contact Liz Heta at DHHS.  Contact details Liz.Heta@dhhs.vic.gov.au

The Australian Women’s Leadership Forum

I was invited to be on a community panel at the Australian Women’s Leadership Forum that which held in Albury. It was an honour to be participate with some amazing women who work and live in the Albury Wodonga Community.

Link: www.wla.edu.au/leadershipforumalburywodonga.html

Projects

The Wodonga City Council has engaged me to get feedback on the Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan from the Aboriginal community stakeholders. Over the past two months Emma and I have been attending community base meetings and doing some home visits to ask people if they would like to participant. There was a great response and thank you to all the people who participated. The report will be completed by Friday 14 December 2018.

Link: https://www.wodonga.vic.gov.au/

The Centre for Continuing Education (Wangaratta) has engaged me to establish and facilitate an advisory group for the Strengthen Family Connections program. Still the first Advisory meeting Rosie Koop and I have been working through the facilitators guide sessions 1, 2 & 3 ready for the Advisory group to view the changes and highlight areas where we require their advice. This project is going to be so beneficial to all Aboriginal families who participate. The aim is for the Strengthening Family connections program to be piloted in Wangaratta in February next year.

Link: https://www.thecentre.vic.edu.au/

The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (Shepparton) has engaged me to find out what are the current practices and opportunity for Jobs for Aboriginal people in the Natural Resources Management (NRM) in the Hume Region. This month has been compiling the information gathered over the past 2 months.

Link:    https://www.gbcma.vic.gov.au/

Victorian Treaty Community Engagement Project

During this month I have been planning the travels I will be doing to hear the voices of Aboriginal people in the North East of Victoria on their aspirations for a Victorian Treaty.

Link: http://victreatyadvancement.org.au/

Rona Tranby Award & Collection ceremony held in Sydney on 10/11/18

In 2017 I was privilege to be sponsored by the Rona Tranby Trust to research the story of my Uncle Allen McDonald (my grandfather’s brother). This month they held an event to display the work that was achieved during 12 months of the research project.

The month of November has been very exciting and gratifying. I look forward to completing and continuing projects and activities during December 2018.

This month Watnanda Consulting started to finalise the completion of projects and plan for the next six months of 2019.

Activities/Meetings attended

I had the opportunity to attend the AGM of the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation at Lake Condah Mission. It was fulfilling to travel back down to Country, catch up with relations, talk to Elders and take time out.

Projects

The Regional Development Australia (RDA) – Murray was invited to speak at the Riverina/ Murray Alliance ?? meeting in Wagga Wagga to report back to community leaders the outcomes of the project so far.  I was invited by RDA to go along to share the outcome of the information gathered and for questions to be asked.  It was a privilege for this opportunity to be involved in this project.

Link: http://www.rdamurray.org.au/

The Wodonga City Council has engaged me to get feedback on the Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan from the Aboriginal community stakeholders. This project was completed and submitted.

Link: https://www.wodonga.vic.gov.au/

The Centre for Continuing Education (Wangaratta) has engaged me to establish and facilitate an advisory group for the Strengthen Family Connections program. This project is going to be so beneficial to all Aboriginal families who participate. The aim is for the Strengthening Family connections program to be piloted in Wangaratta in February 2019. Rosie Koop and I have nearly completed all the children’s, parents/carers, and the group sessions are on track to be completed by the next Advisory group meeting in February 2019.

Link: https://www.thecentre.vic.edu.au/

The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (Shepparton) has engaged me to find out what are the current practices and opportunity for Jobs for Aboriginal people in the Natural Resources Management (NRM) in the Hume Region. This month has been compiling the information gathered over the past 2 months. This project was completed and submitted.

I was really grateful to be asked to take on another contract by the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (Shepparton) to find out the education and training opportunities in the Hume Region for young Aboriginal people wanting a career in the Natural Resource Management sector.

Link:    https://www.gbcma.vic.gov.au/

 

 

Victorian Treaty Community Engagement Project

During this month I have been planning the travels I will be doing to hear the voices of Aboriginal people in the North East of Victoria on their aspirations for a Victorian Treaty.

Link: http://victreatyadvancement.org.au/

September was a very rewarding month which I am very grateful to be provided these opportunities.

The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (Shepparton) has engaged me to find out what are the current practices and opportunity for jobs for Aboriginal people in the Natural Resources Management (NRM) in the Hume Region. This work will be conducted over the next 2 months.

Victorian Child Protection Department invited me to attend a meeting to discuss implementing Yarning circles for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders Child Protection Practitioners and Learning circles for their direct managers state-wide. There needs to be a lot more work to occur in the backgrounds to make this program sustainable. Great initiative!

The Mission

My family I attended the Fringe Festival in Melbourne to watch my young cousin Tom preform in his play called The Mission.  He had great reviews about the story of Uncle Allan McDonald being born on Lake Condah Mission, growing up in the local area, enlisting in World War 1 (Light horse regiment), enlisting in World War 2 and being a community leader on Framlingham reserve. Tom is bringing ‘The Mission’ (play) to Wangaratta, Mt Beauty and touring around the Western Districts of Victoria in 2019.

Constitution Recognition

I attended the Joint Selected Committee for Constitutional Recognition held in Wodonga. I did not know what to expect but I was glad to go along to learn about the process and how these government committees are run. I spoke during the community time and submitted a submission (number 392) last July 2017.

 

Victorian’s TREATY

Ray and I watched the Treaty Forum on livestream on the 25^th September. It was good to hear people have a say about model the working put forward as a draft. It was on this day I was awarded a grant to ensure all Aboriginal people in the North East of Victoria get a chance to have their voices heard about this process. Watch this space as more information will be provided when it comes to hand.

http://victreatyadvancement.org.au/

August was a month I juggled home and work life. There were times I was drawn between the two but decided it was best for my family and my wellbeing to take leave.

I prepared further with contacting the Traditional Owners in the Ovens Murray Region of Victoria to support the Treaty Engagement Grant I have submitted. To assist this progress, I drafted a ‘Working Together’ agreement.

Friday 10th August
I had the opportunity to work with Albury Wodonga Health Service Cancer Centre and Ramsay Health to do a Cultural Competence Audit. The morning was sharing information and learning amongst the participants who attended.

13 August to 28 August
Unfortunately, because of Sorry Business I took 2 weeks leave.

Wednesday 29th August
I returned to work to a back log of emails and phone calls. In the afternoon I had the pleasure to facilitate a yarning session with the administration team at Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service.

Also In August I developed a comic script to assist raising community awareness about the Confirmation of Aboriginality policy made by the Board in January.

 

 Life is never boring!

Judy

I have found over the years attending NAIDOC events took up most of my time during July, along with school holidays. It is just a great time to celebrate our culture, catch up with friends and focus on the new theme for the year. This year’s theme was ‘because of her we can’.

Tuesday 3 July

Had the pleasure to take my granddaughter Isla (on school holidays) to a work meeting with Darren Moffitt and Mark Cottee (and son on school holidays) to discuss an exciting new project in Wodonga called ‘Strengthening Culture and Connections’.

Working with Charles Sturt University – Albury Campus

I the pleasure to facilitate 4 ‘yarning sessions’ at Charles Sturt University Albury with the year 2 Physiotherapy students. There was a total of 48 students who participated in the sessions.

Working with Regional Development Australia – Murray Region NSW

Throughout the months of May, June and July I have been working with Regional Development Australia - Murray Region on developing a Feasibility Study for Increasing Aboriginal Community Environmental Management in the Murray Riverina Region. The project is going into stage 2 which I have decided not to be part of due to other commitments I have agreed to. On my last day I travelled to wagga Wagga to do a presentation on the report that had been submitted. I was grateful to have the opportunity to meet some hard-working people across the region and I enjoyed the experience of working in NSW.

Link: http://www.rdamurray.org.au/

Working with Wodonga Council

I have been engaged by Wodonga Council to provide a ‘snapshot’ from the Wodonga Aboriginal Community and stakeholders on their thoughts and opinions around how the Reconciliation Action plan is progressing. I am grateful I have been given this opportunity to assist the Wodonga Council. This project will end in November 2018.

Link: https://www.wodonga.vic.gov.au/

 

 Life is never boring!

Judy