Uncle Ivan Wellington huffed and puffed to light the twigs and gum leaves this morning in Campbelltown’s iconic Koshigaya Park.
But the respected local Aboriginal elder is not a man who gives up in the face of adversity.
The twigs and leaves in the traditional bark dish were obviously a little damp from this week’s rains, but Uncle Ivan was equal to the task and soon enough the ceremony to mark the start of work on a traditional yarning circle could get under way.
In the presence of local councillors and other Indigenous leaders, including Tharawal Corporation chief Darryl Wright, the smoking ceremony by Uncle Ivan took place near historic Fisher’s Ghost Creek.
And as he weaved his way in and around all of those present to ward off any evil spirits, half a dozen shiny spades were brought out for the traditional turning of the first sod.
The first yarning circle in the public domain of Campbelltown at Koshigaya Park is part of the Campbelltown 2020 program.
A yarning circle is an Aboriginal cultural space where people can sit down together and share stories, learn as a collective group, build respectful relationships and preserve and pass on cultural knowledge.
“Through every step of preparing the design for this important cultural project, we have listened to the voices of Aboriginal people and honour the remarkable heritage of our area,” says Mayor George Brticevic, who was represented this morning by two of his colleagues, Cr Meg Oates and Cr Ben Gilholme.
“This will be a meeting place for everyone to come and have a yarn as well as foster local understanding about culture and its importance in our modern Campbelltown.
“When developing the Our Voice Our Place – Aboriginal Interpretation Strategy, we heard that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities wanted to see more Aboriginal perspectives in our public domain and this yarning circle will be an example of that,” he said.
Features of the Campbelltown 2020 yarning circle include artwork from local Aboriginal artists, a variety of bush tucker plants and accessible seating.
The final design of the cultural space incorporated feedback from the Campbelltown community, particularly local Aboriginal people, ensuring more than 60,000 years of Aboriginal history were represented as part of Campbelltown 2020 program.
Construction is expected to be complete by mid-December – weather permitting.
