Our second workshop built on the importance of place and continuity of existence of people and culture in the local area of Woolloomooloo, where M&G NSW’s office is located. While our first workshop focused on the local people and culture pre-European contact, this time we looked at some aspects of contemporary Aboriginal life.
It was only a five minute walk from our office to those of the Walla Mulla Family and Community Support Centre around the corner in McElhone Street. Walla Mulla is a quiet achiever you may not have heard of before. The not-for-profit organisation has been around for many years offering counseling, family support, information, referral and advocacy on a range of issues including health, housing, education & training, employment and legal. It is there for the whole community but its work with the Aboriginal community and particularly court support and legal advocacy has drawn requests for the team’s help from across greater Sydney.
Walla Mulla means place of plenty in the local Gadigal language. Even so, we made sure we brought plenty of chicken, salad and bread with us to share with the Aunties. Food is important in so many cultures and for the mob even lunch becomes a relaxed celebration of stories, laughter and connection. The simple lunch was also our offering for the stories and knowledge the Aunties shared with us.
Everyone loved the Aunties for their strength and good humour as they shared stories of their lives and their current work at Walla Mulla. Although they receive some funding from the Department of Community Services, they provide critical Aboriginal perspectives at the grassroots case management level and go to great lengths particularly to try to keep children with their family wherever possible. Some of their stories made for difficult listening but are the reality of many Aboriginal families today, long after the assimilation and stolen generations policies have been abandoned and the impact of those policies echoes through subsequent generations.
After lunch we stayed on at Walla Mulla to work in teams on our RAP plan. The Reconciliation Australia website is fantastic with plenty of examples of successful RAPs, a toolkit with a RAP template and further advice only a phone call away. Working through the template we looked at what work we already embraced such as Welcome to Country at M&G NSW events and what more we could do in the three key areas Reconciliation Australia recommends: relationships, respect and opportunities. Happily everyone agreed we should engage more with the local community through places such as Walla Mulla and events such as the Woolloomooloo annual NAIDOC Week celebration and encouraging our arts neighbours at the Gunnery to join us. RAPs are very practical so we have committed, as one example, to some annual fundraising for the local community through Walla Mulla. Standby for news about the raffle!
Steve Miller, M&G NSW's Aboriginal Sector Programs Manager.
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