Newsletter April by GoolumGoolum

“It's our cultural obligation to ensure the continuity of our culture, identity, and connections for generations to come." Tanisha Lovett. April

Family

THURSDAY May 15 4–8 PM

Fed Uni - 289 Baillie Street, Horsham

Special Guest Speaker: Leah Purcell AM/Dinner provided.

Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative respectfully acknowledges that our o ces are based on unceded land of the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagulk peoples. We pay our respects to their ancestors, and to Elders, both past and present, and to the future Elders and caretakers of this land. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.

CEO Ants Craig

Board of Directors

Jake Goodes Chairperson

Nola IIlin Vice Chairperson

Lachlan Marks Board Director

Kelly Britten Board Director

John Gorton Board Director

Dalk

Welcome to our April Newsletter

Congratulations to local women Tanisha Lovett on her Ricci Marks award. Goolum Goolum has been a part of Tanisha’s journey, and we recognise Tanisha as an emerging leader and role model for young Aboriginal people in our community.Keep up the good work Tanisha.

Our newsletter is full of important information and upcoming events. I am also pleased we are now encouraging community to tap into our online version of the newsletter –think we have killed enough trees printing and posting!

I encourage as many people as possible to join the Gap Gap Dyirr FV information evening with guest speaker Leah Purcell – it will be a great night.

Pamela Branson Board Director

Brandi Olsten Board Director

There is a federal election coming up and I would encourage all to participate and if there are any young ones out there who may be voting for the ﬁrst time, I encourage you to take an active interest and ask questions –having a say is important.

Footy tipping is underway, and I have rapidly plummeted to the bottom –really need to start paying attention

Have a great month everyone and as always feel free to call in and tours of the HUB are always available.

Ants

Family Violence Event

Family Violence nformation Evening Gap Gap Dy irr

THURSDAY May 15 4–8 PM

Fed Uni - 289 Baillie Street, Horsham

Special Guest Speaker: Leah Purcell AM

Leah Purcell AM is an award-winning actress, director, and writer known for her powerful storytelling and advocacy for Indigenous voices. Her works, like The Drover’s Wife, have earned critical acclaim, and in 2021, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

#ourcommunityourresponsibility

We are excited to welcome Leah Purcell AM as our special guest speaker at the Family Violence Information Evening on May 15!

Leah is an award-winning actress, director, playwright, and author, known for her powerful storytelling and advocacy for Indigenous voices.

Born in Murgon, Queensland, Leah has overcome many challenges, using her experiences to create impactful stories that amplify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. Her groundbreaking work includes Box the Pony and The Drover’s Wife, both of which have won critical acclaim on stage and screen.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear Leah speak! Join us on May 15 for an evening of awareness, empowerment, and storytelling.

Congratulations to Tanisha Lovett, a proud Gunditjmara and Wotjobaluk woman, on receiving the 2025 Ricci Marks Award!. We spoke with Tanisha about her journey, passion for cultural education, and what this recognition means to her.

When you received your award, you mentioned in your speech that you hope to inspire others to take opportunities—what advice would you give to young Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people looking to make an impact?

I would say not to be so hard on yourself. I've always been my biggest critic, but in truth, it doesn't have to be that way, and if you want to do something, don't be shy and take those opportunities and chances, because if you don't, “Nothing's going to change”. As a small person myself, once I needed someone to be there to inspire me and bring me along on a journey, because I was lost. I hope that if you feel the same way that you would want to get up and make those changes for not only yourself but others around us that need that help.

How has your cultural background as a proud Gunditjmara and Wotjobaluk woman influenced the work you do?

Well, on my own personal journey, finding out my identity and who I am and why I was put on this earth, a part of that journey was finding about my culture and what that meant to be a Wotjobaluk woman and to be able to stand there and say that I am proud to be one. That has definitely influenced the work I do, for the way that I want people to be connected to their culture, country, and community, because without them, I think we're lost. And having those connections, a self of healing but also resilience. It's what our people were here doing for us. It's our cultural obligation to have that going for generations to come. I definitely do like to focus on the next generation and youth as a young one that was someone who I needed, so I like to be that leader and I hope that does make an impact, for the ones that are around now.

Can you tell us more about your involvement with the Dalki Murrup ceremonial dance group and the Kinship Camp?

I do like to focus a lot on youth. Both of those programmes and events include our youth. The ceremonial dance group came about because, as Wotjobaluk people, we didn't have a traditional dance group that had knowledge and stories and language passed down.

Everything that we were doing locally around here was always shared from other mobs, so it was about bringing back to what was true to us and our culture from the roots. So we grabbed a small group of young Koori kids from around here to focus on developing these dances that we can give back to our community. The kinship camp was also set up for the youth to get them out on country and start learning their culture and getting to know each other as well because not everyone gets to go to the same school, not everyone knows who's cousins who, but having those opportunities where we can come together and learn all these things are important.

What are some of the biggest challenges and rewards of working with young people in cultural education?

I would say with challenges, would probably be having that knowledge to share with them because a lot of our knowledge and history wasn't passed down, or we are relying a lot on our elders to help pass that down. Me myself, I'm still on my learning journey to help pass that on, but, I’m deﬁnitely seeing more rewards out of it. The young people are our next generation and if we don't teach them, this stu will never get passed on, and we'll lose a lot more. We've already lost enough, so it's all about revitalising and bringing back our culture, so we can be happy, healthy and strong people.

What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives you’re excited about?

Well, there are coming events, projects and initiatives. I know, work wise what I'm excited about coming up is that BGLC has successfully secured funding for language and also another set of funding for education, so they kind of work hand in hand and a part of that money will also go towards the Dalki Murrup dancers. So before there were a pilot project and we were able to have them perform at some events, but now really sitting them down and focusing a lot more on developing more dances and learning more language, and how we can share that even more broadly with community through di erent projects and events.

How do you hope to see cultural education and youth leadership evolve in the coming years?

It's a good question in the sense that the word evolve is something our culture deﬁnitely has had to do over the years and our people, adapt and evolve. So cultural education and youth leadership, I'd hope to see a lot more opportunities for our young youth to have those cultural education experiences. I'd like to see them on country more. I'd like to see them sitting down with their elders and listening and learning from them, and I hope through that journey of learning their culture that they ﬁnd a bit of leadership in themselves to be able to stand up as proud indigenous people, and they are our future leaders, so I can't wait to be an elder myself, like, and I think I'm on the right journey and I hope that I have a lot more standing next to me when it comes to it.

If you could leave a message for the next generation of young leaders, what would it be?

It's OK if you don't know what you're doing at the moment, and no matter how old you are, where you are, you still have that opportunity to connect with community and your culture and try to ﬁgure out who you are and your identity and where you're at on your journey.

Aunty Pam Branson

Mob/Tribe:

Narungga - Ngarrindjeri

Family Name/Community Ties:

I am a proud Indigenous Women, Mother, Grandmother and carer. Partner of the late Peter Kennedy, and proud Mother and Grandmother of Wotjobaluk children and grandchildren.

I certainly have both good and bad lived life experiences.

I'm passionate about giving strength and guidance to inspire our younger generation to make better choices for positive changes and outcomes.

I am very active in this community on different boards and community programs.

tner of the uk children ger es. programs.

Professional workshop & training

This month a select few Goolum Goolum sta joined with other professionals from Uniting Wimmera, Grampians Community Health, Local Schools and other organisations to attend and participate in the presentation of the ‘Bridges out of Poverty’ workshop at Coughlin Park Community Centre in Horsham. This training day was a great opportunity to mix with other organisations and learn new skills. Our sta that attended said this workshop was very informative and a great day. Thank you Uniting Wimmera for organising this training.

Youth Drop In this month

A vibrant scene where our youths from Stawell are gathered around large wooden boards, painting and having fun.

Each board is a unique expression of creativity and culture, and all boards will be proudly displayed during NAIDOC Week 2025 for the community to see and celebrate.

Huggy Bears Men’s Mental Health

Can you tell us about your role with Huggy Bears and how you got involved?

I'm Ted, and I’m the Wimmera moderator for Huggy Bears Men's Mental Health Support. I recently became part of the admin team as well. Our group has only been running since August last year, and I stepped into the moderator role around Christmas time. Just recently, I was made an admin.A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to donate goods to Goolum Goolum. It was a fantastic

day—we sat down for a meal and then presented the donations. It was great to see the impact we could have in the community.

What does Huggy Bears do in the community?

At Huggy Bears, we focus on supporting men’s mental health. If someone needs help—whether it’s mental health support or guidance in another areas—they can reach out to me, and we can have a conversation. That’s how it all starts: with a chat. What I’ve personally noticed is that there’s a real lack of support for men when it comes to mental health. That’s actually how Huggy Bears was founded. The group’s founder, Hack, was in hospital in Geelong and realized that there weren’t many support options available for men. When I found the Huggy Bears page, I joined as a member, and from there, I became more involved. Now, we’re out in the community, providing support to those who need it.

Can you share a bit about your personal experience with mental health and why you’re passionate about this work?

A few years ago, I went through my own struggle with mental health. At the time, I found there was no real support available for men—nowhere I could go to simply have a co ee and talk to someone about what I was going through. I ended up in a really bad place, and it was my best friend who found me and took me to my doctor. That was the turning point, but it still took a long time to ﬁnd a counsellor who could truly help me. That experience made me want to create a space where people could reach out—where they could meet up for a co ee, have a chat, and be pointed in the right direction for further professional help if needed. It’s not just about depression; sometimes people are just going through a rough patch and need some guidance. I want to be there to o er that initial support and help them take the next steps.

What steps have you taken to further your ability to support others?

I recently completed the Youth Mental Health First Aid course, which has been incredibly helpful. It’s given me the tools to better assist people in the community who are struggling and to guide them toward the appropriate resources. My goal is to make sure that no one feels alone in their journey—because support should always be available when you need it.

Huggy Bear

Celebrating Sistas

The Goolum Sistas Group visited Gunditjmara & DWECH Women's Groups

Our Celebrating Sistas group had the privilege of being invited onto Gunditjmara lands (South-West Victoria) in March for an overnight road trip. Welcomed by respected women from Gunditjmara Aboriginal Co-Operative and Dhauwurd-Wurrung Elderly and Community Health (DWECH) Service Inc, our women spent 2 days enjoying some amazing cra , yarning, exchanging culture and creating friendships.

Family Services Programs at GGAC

Please contact S aman t h a D arc y

Please contact Kelly Britten

Please contact

Monique Emmett

Please contact Rhianna Peachey

Please contact

S harna Cockerall

kelly.britten@goolumgoolum.org.au

Individual and Family Therapy

monique.emmett@goolumgoolum.org.au

Kinship Care, First Supports and Play Therapy

rhianna.peachey@goolumgoolum.org.au

Tuning

sharna.cockerall@g

Maternal and Child Health

We are still taking pictures of our beautiful babies to proudly display on the Boorai Wall in the Medical Clinic, If you would like your baby to be part of this special display , please call MCH Nurse number 0488 138 482 Wed or Thu or leave a message.

Deadly Mums, Deadly Families!

Join our 8-week Healthy Movement Program starting April 30th!

This is your chance to move, feel great, and connect with other deadly mums in a fun and supportive space. Plus, you’ll receive a sport top, bag & towel to keep you motivated! Spots are limited, so don’t miss out!

G lumG lumBabies Proﬁle