Sharing Stories and Culture During NAIDOC Week

On 15 July 2024, Volunteer West joined community members at Braybrook Community Hub for a NAIDOC Week celebration supporting Wotjabaluk-Gunditjmara woman Helen Farquhar in sharing the Dreamtime story of Tchingal the Giant Emu.

The day began with a Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony and dance performance led by Kooramyee Cooper and the Young Witchetty Grubs, creating a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere for everyone attending.

Participants then took part in a range of cultural arts and crafts activities, including creating faux possum skin footballs while learning about their traditional use in games, storytelling and community activities.

One of the highlights of the day was gathering together to listen to Helen share the Dreamtime story of Tchingal the Giant Emu. Through storytelling, participants learned how Tchingal’s journey across the land connects to the creation of waterways in the Wimmera River region and parts of the sandstone mountains within the Grampians National Park.

The event created space for people of different backgrounds and generations to come together, learn and engage with First Nations culture through storytelling, creativity and shared experiences.

A special thank you to our volunteers Kushal, Daniel and Fatima, who provided wonderful support throughout the day, and to everyone who attended and helped create such a warm and meaningful community event.

We were grateful to receive positive feedback from participants and look forward to continuing to support opportunities for cultural learning and connection in the future.