Hi Landcarer’s

I am so thrilled to let you know that in partnership with the Peak Hill Aboriginal Working Party, we are once again celebrating Reconciliation Week at Bulgandramine.

We are kicking off the Back to Bulgandramine Gathering with funding from Central West Local Land Services through their Resilient Communities Small Grants funding and looking forward to actually being able to celebrate at Bulgandramine this time!

We held the last Festival as part of National Reconciliation Week (NRW) in 2016, but due to severe flooding we held the event in Peak Hill. This wonderful two days of workshops, performances and time together had such a positive outcome for the community, building relationships, knowledge and a deeper appreciation of the cultures that we bring with us.

The celebration will be held on Saturday and Sunday, 1 and 2 June at the Bulgandramine Mission site, located approximately 25km from Peak Hill on the banks of the Bogan River.

National Reconciliation Week runs between 27 May and 3 June. The theme for this year is Gounded in truth – walk together with courage. The dates for NRW tie in with two significant milestones in our reconciliation journey, being the 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision.

To some, recognising these dates through a set week may seem unnecessary, but we acknowledge that this is a time to learn about our shared histories and cultures and work together to achieve reconciliation. Reconciliation is an action.

The National Reconciliation Week website provides the following overview to Reconciliation Week: At the heart of reconciliation is the relationship between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To foster positive race relations, our relationship must be grounded in a foundation of truth.

We will have a registration process up soon for people to register their interest in attending and being involved. Keep an eye on our facebook page where we will be providing information as we bring the Festival together and fine tune the program.

We are seeking additional funding and support to run the event, to ensure that we provide a positive learning experience, as well as a time to share and appreciate the special site at Bulgandramine.

This event is not just for Peak Hill locals, it is open to everyone and the Elders of Bulgandramine and the Peak Hill Aboriginal Working Party welcome you to share this weekend with us all.

Central West Lachlan Landcare have renewed their commitment to the review process and development of a new Reconciliation Action Plan, which we hope to talk with people about during the Festival.

We commenced our first RAP in 2014, with the intention of the Innovate RAP being to outline actions that work towards achieving our organisations unique vision for reconciliation.

The RAP framework enables organisations to contribute to reconciliation by: building and encouraging relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, organisations, and the broader Australian community; fostering and embedding respect for the world’s longest surviving cultures and communities; and develop opportunities within your organisation or services to improve socio-economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

We hope to undertake a Stretch RAP which is suited to organisations that have developed strategies, and established a strong approach towards advancing reconciliation internally and within the organisation’s sphere of influence. This type of RAP is focused on implementing longer-term strategies, and working towards defined measurable targets and goals.

The Stretch RAP requires organisations to embed reconciliation initiatives into business strategies to become ‘business as usual’

For more information, go to our website at centralwestlachlanlandcare.org, facebook, twitter or Instagram @cwllandcare.

Until next week, happy Landcaring!