Cradled in beautiful scenery at Mount Magnet are the Granites, a significant Aboriginal rock art site rich in Badimaya history; and some of that history is now about to be preserved.

The Badimia Lands Aboriginal Corporation (BLAC) received funding last year through the Federal Government’s Indigenous Language and Arts Project, run by the Ministry of Arts, to conduct a series of workshops at Mount Magnet to capture information about the Granites.

Bundiyarra-Irra Wangga Language Centre was contracted to conduct the language workshops and on a beautiful rainy day last month, Elders and a big crowd of Badimaya people came together to do some work on the project.

Former Language Centre Linguist, James Bednall and Language Centre Linguist, Rosie Sitorus, have recorded some of the history in language and will also translate it into English for interpretive signage at the Granites.

Language teacher, Nadine Taylor, who helped facilitate the workshop, said Elders and the whole Walsh family gathered for a big day of Badimaya work.

“The Granites is a place of strong cultural significance to the Badimaya people,” she said, “and it was wonderful to see the family come together.

“It was a big crowd and there was plenty of activity with painting, story-telling, and cooking – kangaroo stew, damper, and bush turkey cooked in the ground,” she said.
“We went on a bush tour to look for bimba with Uncle Ollie George and Virginia Walsh, it was a fabulous day.”

The project was conceptualised by Mt Magnet artist, Frank Walsh Junior, and other Badimaya community members and is coordinated by Terra Rosa Consulting.

It will culminate in a community-wide art exhibition at Mt Magnet’s Wirnda Barna Art Centre and the development of a children’s book.

People have been waiting patiently for their copy of the Wajarri Dictionary, well the wait is over – shiny new reprint copies are available for purchase at Bundiyarra!

This has been made possible with Sinosteel Mid West Corporation’s generous funding last year.

Twenty-five years in the making, this is a great resource and only costs $60. Visit the Bundiyarra online store at www.bundiyarra.org.au or drop into the organisation on Eastward Road, Utakarra, and check out all the other great book titles and resources too.

Kathleen Nelly has achieved a great deal since beginning work at Bundiyarra in 2013, and in April this year, she was named Durack Institute of Technology’s Aboriginal Student of the Year.
Through a work placement at Bundiyarra as part of her Business Certificate II, Kathleen became a full-time employee.
Last year, Kathleen returned to study the Certificate IV in Digital Media and Technology at Durack three days a week, while working at Bundiyarra for the other two, and was the recipient of three scholarships to help her on her way.
She was awarded the 2015 Aboriginal Education and Employment and Training Committee (AEETC) Academic Careers Pathways scholarship, and the 2015 Rio Tinto Aboriginal Scholarship. Kathleen also earned herself the 2015 Mid West Development Commission Certificate IV in Digital Media Scholarship to continue her studies at Durack (now Central Regional TAFE).
Kathleen, 21, has achieved what she set out to do and is now working full-time at Bundiyarra once again as Adminstration Coordinator.
Kathleen said she is thrilled to have successfully completed her studies and looks forward to using her new skills as part of her full time role.

Mount Magnet Elder, Uncle Ollie George, is the last living fluent speaker of the Badimaya language.
Bundiyarra-Irra Wangga Language Centre has been working hard with Ollie for many years to help preserve the language, and has now received funding from Country Arts WA to help capture his extensive cultural knowledge, including traditional stories and oral histories of Badimaya people from the mid-1930s to today.
The grant of more than $38,000 will fund a collaborative project encompassing visual arts and literature and production of a book, Nganang Badimaya Wangga: Stories by Uncle Ollie George.
Partnering with Yamaji Art, Wirnda Barna artists at Mount Magnet and ABC Open Mid West, the Bundiyarra-Irra Wangga Language Centre will oversee the publication of a book and short films and documentary culminating in an art exhibition.
Language Centre Coordinator, Jenni Gregory-Kniveton, said the Language Centre has worked closely with Uncle Ollie as the main language and cultural consultant on this project for many years.
“It’s through Uncle Ollie’s tireless efforts that since 2012, the Language Centre has been able to so far produce nine publications, one short film, a photographic exhibition and numerous short, online videos and audio segments for radio,” she said.
“As the last speaker of the Badimaya language, and at 82-years-old, it is vitally important that Uncle Ollie’s stories continue to be recorded and produced for the revitalisation of the Badimaya language for the Badimaya people.
“We are very grateful to Country Arts for recognising the importance of this project and awarding the funding to allow us to progress this project to save a disappearing language,” Jenni said.
Former Language Centre Linguist, James Bednall and Linguist Rosie Sitorus, photographic coordinator, Brendan Penzer and film maker ABC Open Mid West’s Chris Lewis, will work with Uncle Ollie George to record 14 of his cultural and historical stories spoken in Badimaya on country at locations integral to the stories themselves. The linguists will then translate the stories.
The funding of $38,750 is provided by Country Arts WA Scheme Four program, made possible by the State Government’s Royalties for Regions $24 million investment in culture and the arts.

The Midwest Aboriginal Organisations Alliance (MAOA) is seeking feedback on the Australian Government's proposed Cashless Debit Card. Which may or may not be introduced to Geraldton

Payment system to all people who receive Commonwealth benefits from the Department of Social Services (DSS). If introduced the Card will be compulsory. This system will limit and direct how your money can be spent. Your benefit will be paid into two bank accounts - 20 per cent into a regular bank account and 80 per cent into the Cashless Debit Card account.

The Debit Card will look like, and operate as any normal bank debit card and can be used online. It can be used for to day-to-day expenses such as buying groceries and clothes; paying bills and for travel. The card will have an exclusion and will not work to pay for grog, gambling or cash withdrawal. Anyone who receives a payment from Centrelink like:

* Newstart (eg unemployment benefit);
* Youth Allowance
* Disability Support Pension
* Parenting Payment or Carers

Payment will be affected. The card will not apply to people who are on the aged pension or Veterans payments, but can participate if they wish. The Debit Card is currently on trial in two locations - Ceduna and the Kimberley. There is a proposal to introduce this as a trial into the Geraldton area and the DSS is seeking comments and feedback on whether this community is willing to participate in the trial.

If you would like to know more about the Cashless Debit Card, or would like to provide some feedback to DSS through MAOA please call Gordon Gray or Lou Tatasciore at Midwest Aboriginal Organisations Alliance (MAOA) on 9920 7900. All feedback must be received by 31 March 2016.

Throughout February and March last year, Bundiyarra, with support from the City of Greater Geraldton, held Come yarn with us community consultation sessions every Wednesday for community to tell us what they wanted from the plans and projects Bundiyarra aimed to achieve throughout 2015.

* These sessions saw great attendance and enthusiasm, and the results from the consultations were consolidated into a strategic plan. Some deadly achievements were celebrated last year. These included installation of the mural at the Radio Theatre on Marine Terrace, Geraldton, telling the story of Aunty Joan Gray’s mother, Alice Nannup, giving the local kids a dressing down about racism in the 1950s. Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton for funding this project.

* Camp Gallipoli was held at Bundiyarra in April, in conjunction with the City of Greater Geraldton; a special night of remembrance, entertainment and fun honouring the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli 100 years before and recognising the part Aboriginal servicemen played in the battle.

* Bundiyarra’s IT guru, Dwayne Smith, was named 2014 Vocational Student of the Year across all four of Durack Institute of Technology’s campuses and Administration Coordinator Kathleen Nelly was the proud recipient of three scholarships to study at Durack Institute of Technology. She completed a Certificate IV in digital media
technologies last year.

* The Bundiyarra - Irra Wangga Language Centre enjoyed some deadly achievements too. They launched the Nhanda Alphabet Poster at Kalbarri in April. The poster was created by the language centre as a resource to preserve the disappearing Nhanda language, with the invaluable help of Nhanda woman, Colleen Drage and her father, Clayton Drage. Then came the launch of the highly regarded Wajarri Dictionary App, created and produced by Bundiyarra’s marketing arm and the Bundiyarra - Irra Wangga Language Centre.

* The Language Centre hosted three university work experience students over the year, giving them a rare opportunity to experience work in such an environment. Sinosteel Midwest Corporation agreed to sponsor printing the second edition of the Wajarri Dictionary - that was 25 years’ in the creation.

Thumbs up for Bundiyarra in Last Years Achievements.

Things really are powering along at Bundiyarra; Partnerships continue to be formed with fantastic outcomes to be realised.

Bundiyarra has partnered with the Northern Agricultural Catchment Council (NACC), Skill Hire and the City of Greater Geraldton to see the now languishing community garden space revitalised into an amazing Community Bush Tucker Garden dedicated to Nana Dora Dann. Named after local Elder Dora Danna's book, The garden space will be revitalised with the installation of shade houses and new sheds, work started on the Waranygu Bayalgu (digging for food) Community Bush Tucker Garden on 22 February.

A second partnership between Bundiyarra, NACC, and Skill Hire will see Bundiyarra's grounds revitalised under the steady supervision of Chris Ronan (Donna's brother), who will lead this project. The front lawn will be removed and paved and covered with shade sails, existing paving will be re-levelled and in some places replaced with concrete, stone paving, and new brick for flower beds to be constructed.

Bundiyarra CEO, Marchelle Retallack, said these are really exciting times. Our community has designed an amazing strategy for these grounds and support letters are
flowing; thanks community for your contribution. "All this helps with the overall Stage 8 Bundiyarra re-development and the Muguri Trails, that is due to start in July this year"

Bundiyarra is very pleased for this Partnership and look forward to progress of this project for further inquiries please contact Donna Ronan or Chris Ronan on 08 9920 7900 at Bundiyarra or email: reception@bundiyarra.org.au

Last year was a busy one for Bundiyarra, and it finished on a high note with City of Greater Geraldton CEO, Ken Diehm's announcement that the Corporation had been granted $30,000! Mr Diehm was a guest at Bundiyarra's Christmas party on 17 December and relayed the good news that a grant had been approved through Round 17 of the City's Community Grants Program. The program is designed to provide assistance to local community groups and organisations that make positive contributions to the quality of life in the Greater Geraldton region.

The funding will be used to further develop the Muguri or Dream Trails tourist experience at Bundiyarra, that's planned to attract tourism and boost the not-for-profit organisation's economic future. Bundiyarra CEO, Marchelle Retallack, said "she was thrilled that the Corporation received the funding injection that would allow the first stage of the multi-stage Bundiyarra Muguri project to kick off with new infrastructure".

The new infrastructure including
* Public toilets;
* A camp-style kitchen with dishwashing and serving space;
* A bough shed for weather protection;
* A permanent projection screen with a stage;
* A lawn area;

"This will provide entertainment space for greater community and will allow more programs and activities to be offered both during and after hours, without having to use the existing, space-poor facilities. We will work with several partners to achieve these outcomes" - Said Bundiyarra CEO Marchelle Retallack.

Completing this project would improve local community participation, cohesion and contribute to vibrant and viable communities, targetting heritage, multiculturalism, the arts and education. It also ticks the boxes in terms of embracing a highly diversified economy as the multi-stage project will offer on-going training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal youth, leading to an array of economic possibilities.