Kangan Institute hosts 10th Annual Ningulabul Reconciliation Lunch

Kangan Institute’s 10^th Annual Ningulabul Reconciliation Lunch drew quite a crowd of community leaders to the Gunung-Willam-Balluk Indigenous Education Centre.

CEO of World Vision, Reverend Tim Costello, was a regrettable absentee but showed his support via video message. Rev Costello congratulated the institute on being a “great gift to not only the area and the students, but also to the nation”.

Past and present students and their families recognised the importance of the ongoing journey of reconciliation in the wider community. Indigenous elder of the Hume Community Uncle Norm Hunter’s family continue to support the IEC years beyond his passing.

“Uncle Norm had a true recognition that reconciliation means Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working together,” IEC manager Linc Yow Yeh said.

“Indigenous issues need to be at the forefront of everyone’s thinking in order to identify what it means to be Australian."

Aunty Joy Murphy, highly regarded Elder of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations, shared her story with the packed Indigenous Education Centre audience. Aunty Joy is best known for welcoming the crowd’s at the MCG or foreign dignitaries to the traditional land of her ancestors.

The event was once again sponsored by Hume City Council and supported by the Broadmeadows Magistrate Court. CEO Grant Sutherland, Hume City Councillor Alan Bolton and Magistrate Rose Falla (the first female Indigenous Magistrate in Victoria) of the Broadmeadows Magistrate Court accepted art work produced by students from the Indigenous Education Centre as a token of their appreciation.  

Michael Swinbourn from Kangan Institute’s Skills Recognition and Employment Services team was honoured with the Terry Kildea Boonde-Mak-Balletak (reconciliation) award.

This award acknowledges the contribution of a non-indigenous individual in the local Kangan and Hume community towards supporting Indigenous people to develop and meet their full potential. Michael does wonderful work with the ‘Work for the Dole’ program participants and so much more with this community group.

Kangan Institute will celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the Centre’s opening in July. The Centre offers courses including aboriginal cultural arts, building and construction, children’s services, conservation and land management, music, Mumgu-dhal Tyama-tiyt, VCAL and VCE for Indigenous Australians.