An excited crowd of local First Nations and non-Indigenous community members gathered on Friday at Me-Mandook Galk Indigenous Education and Bush Tucker Place in Chewton for a celebration filled with music, connection and hope for the future.
The event marked the launch of Uncle Rick’s Community Shed and the announcement of major BIG Project funding from Community Bank Maldon and District to build the long-imagined Me-Mandook Galk Indigenous Education Place – a dream more than a decade in the making for Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation.
Guests enjoyed good vibes, DJ Waaman, a relaxed community barbecue hosted by BDAC Men’s Shed, and a first look at plans for the new Indigenous Education Place – a stunning Elder and community-led design inspired by the Creator Ancestors Bunjil and Waa, symbolising connection, balance and respect for Country.
The celebration highlighted the work of Nalderun, a respected local organisation that supports First Nations children, families and schools across the region.
Founded in 2009 on Djaara Country in the Upper Loddon, and guided by Senior Elder Uncle Rick Nelson, Nalderun provides wrap-around holistic cultural education, wellbeing and youth leadership programs that empower First Nations young people to learn, grow and thrive.
Nalderun, whose name is the Dja Dja Wurrung word for ‘all together’, also provides training, curriculum support and advocacy to the broader community.
The next stage of this important project comes to life thanks to an unprecedented $850,000 investment from Community Bank Maldon and District through its BIG Project community funding grant – a regional initiative designed to deliver lasting community impact.
Uncle Rick Nelson, Djaara Elder and Nalderun chair, said Nalderun and the local Koorie community were grateful.
“We’ve been working for a number of years to get some money for the build. We’re very grateful that Community Bank Maldon and District, on behalf of all who bank there, have stepped up to help us. This is going to set the precedent for a way forward for developing strong relationships between the Koorie community and the broader community,” he said.
The Community Bank’s investment was matched by the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, multiplying the project’s overall benefit.
The Me-Mandook Galk site was originally purchased through a successful grassroots crowdfunding campaign in 2021, which was funded by more than 1200 people in just eight days. The speed of the campaign demonstrates the strength of the relationships that Nalderun has nurtured with the broader community over the past 15 years. The site is home to Nalderun’s Bush Tucker Place, which is co-managed by two First Nations youths and two allies, with volunteers helping regenerate the land, plant bush tucker gardens, and build Uncle Rick’s Community Shed – a space for cultural workshops, artefact-making and healing.
Nalderun CEO Kath Coff said they were excited to be partnering with the team at the bank, as another organisation supporting the local community.
“We look forward to all the opportunities that this Indigenous Education Place will enable for us to support First Nations youth to grow up strong and proud and to walk together as equals with local schools, organisations and community members for a thriving future for all,” she said.
