As spring ripens this year’s bush tucker, Aboriginal elders are travelling back to the land to open a window into Dubbo’s history, culture and tradition for locals to experience.
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This weekend will be enriched with stories, songs and dancing, as elders and locals gather at Talbragar Reserve for a two-day campout.
The idea came about when an elder who was at the Great Barrier Reef and another on the busy streets of Canberra were talking on the phone about how much they missed their country.
Tubbah Gah Wilay Wiradjuri Yarn Up begins tomorrow with “everyone welcome” and will continue until midday on Sunday.
Facilitator Coral Peckham said elders would be travelling to Dubbo from as far as Cairns to educate people about their culture, traditions and history.
“We’re telling everyone to bring a swag and come along,” Ms Peckham said.
The weekend will include songs, games, stories, exchanging photographs, dancing and much more.
This will be the first, hopefully of an annual event, Ms Peckham said.
“It has to be in the spring every year because that’s when bush tucker is ripe,” she said.
Local people are also being asked to entertain the crowd tomorrow night, to get everyone involved.
“Some of these young people in trouble in the community today don’t have an identity,” she said.
“We need to inject positivity into the community and teach them about their history.”
There will be a church service on Sunday morning under the peppercorn tree, where Ms Peckham remembers them being held growing up.
“We want to get that happening again,” she said.
“And we’re hoping to get a book written about it too,” Ms Peckham said.
Dubbo City Council, Department of Environment and Climate Change, TAFE, traditional owners, Parks and Landcare, the Rural Fire Service, Catchment Management Authority, Lands Council, Wirrimbah (meaning ‘to preserve’) traditional owners and many volunteers worked with Ms Peckham to make the event happen.
carly.dolan@ruralpress.com
