31 July 2018

Aboriginal Elders and youths capture history with Lotterywest grant

  • WADJAK Northside Aboriginal Community Group receives $123,376 Lotterywest grant
  • Twelve-month program will facilitate elders to engage with young people to build knowledge in culture, language and history
  • The project will train participants in recording their history and stories  

Premier Mark McGowan and Mirrabooka MLA Janine Freeman today presented a Lotterywest grant of $123,376 to the WADJAK Northside Aboriginal Community Group in Balga. 

The funding will go towards a 12-month project to facilitate elders to engage with young people in the northern suburbs to build knowledge in their culture, language and history.

The project will train participants in how to record their history and stories through documenting, conserving and presentation skills, creating the opportunity to learn valuable skills.

Participants in the program will learn computer skills, gain experience in photography, videography and data storage and be trained in how to deliver a presentation.

The grant will assist with the costs of running the program and purchasing equipment.

This project will add value to WADJAK's existing mentoring program and other services, including managing an Aboriginal Community Resource Centre in Balga, which hosts programs such as elders and women's groups, Back to Country camps and mobile clinics.

Comments attributed to Premier Mark McGowan:

"I am pleased to present WADJAK Northside Aboriginal Community Group with a Lotterywest grant to help make cultural connections between elders and young Aboriginal people living in the northern suburbs.

"Capturing and documenting Aboriginal history and stories is critical to ensuring the Western Australian identity remains strong for generations to come.

"I applaud the organisation's focus on providing an invaluable resource to support Aboriginal people in their community to build their cultural knowledge and gain valuable skills." 

Comments attributed to Mirrabooka MLA Janine Freeman:

"This Lotterywest grant is a valuable contribution to WADJAK Northside Aboriginal Community Group's work with young people to help build their capacity as future leaders in the community.

"With the wealth of Aboriginal history in the northern suburbs, it is vital to share this knowledge and build skillsets that allow stories to be documented and passed down long into the future.

"I welcome Lotterywest's funding boost to an organisation which not only plays an important role for the Aboriginal people in the northern suburbs, but also provides an avenue for cultural exchange with the wider community in the Mirrabooka electorate."

Premier's office - 6552 5000