Wednesday, 17 May 2023

 Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (10:04): Happy IDAHOBIT. A vibrant and confident Aboriginal community encouraging cultural strengthening, promoting health and providing a safe gathering place for all community members – this is the vision of Willum Warrain, and this vision was on full display during my visit last week. Located in Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula, an area that has one of the fastest growing Aboriginal populations, Willum Warrain plays an important role in educating and connecting young Indigenous kids with community through their Deadly Kids program.

Willum Warrain recently celebrated its ninth birthday as a gathering place for Aboriginal people and is the only Aboriginal-run retail and wholesale nursery south of Melbourne. The level of care and knowledge evident with their bush nursery is super impressive. A huge thanks to Peter, Karsten and Nadia for welcoming me through your gates and talking me through the story of Willum Warrain. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to come and spend time on the site and to learn from thousands of years of culture and wisdom. I am looking forward to coming back soon and continuing to see and be part of the fantastic work that you are all doing.