Special tour: Uncle Lance James leads the walking tour of The Flats.
The 2022 Fairley Leadership cohort took part in a Welcome to Country Day on March 30 to explore the significance of First Nations culture.
The day was facilitated by Yorta Yorta man and City of Greater Shepparton Cr Greg James and included a smoking ceremony, a walking tour of The Flats between Shepparton and Mooroopna and discussions with Rumbarala Aboriginal Co-operative chief executive Felicia Dean and Academy of Sport, Health and Education director Leonie Dywer about the importance of health and sport in community development.
Welcome: Fairley Leadership participants were welcomed with a traditional smoking ceremony.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
“We have been discussing for sometime how we can work in partnership and the introduction of the Welcome to Country Day is one outcome of working with Goulburn Murray Community Leadership to provide emerging community leaders an important learning experience like this,” Cr James said.
“The Flats is a significant landmark for Indigenous people as it became home to those in the first ever mass strike of Aboriginal people in 1939.”
Goulburn Murray Community Leadership executive officer Nathan Bibby said the day is an important and significant inclusion into the Fairley Leadership Program.
“We are grateful to local Indigenous elders and leaders facilitating the day and organisations spending the time to explore the cultural connections, relationships and responsibilities we all play in developing a thriving Yorta Yorta community,” he said.
