culture
WAHLUU
Wahluu is the Wiradyuri name for the initiation site now known as Mt Panorama. The Wahluu program honour’s the traditional role of Wahluu as an initiation site of Wiradyuri youth, by providing
a modern day version of initiation through mentoring (by Elders and allied industry professionals) whilst demonstrating a model of positive cooperation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. Interpretative signage at the museum will explain the significance of Wahluu to the Wiradyuri people, providing a clear point of access for Indigenous students. As per the Mitchell Institute report, Indigenous students are significantly less likely to benefit from the opportunities
that the Australian education system has to offer.
This program seeks to build cultural pride and help Indigenous students identify the correlation between thetraditional initiation element of Wahluu and the mentoring aspect of the Wahluu program that honour’s the mountain’s original role in their traditional culture. Hence, highlighting the significance of why co-naming the mountainis significant. Crucially, it counters the current public perception that the Wiradyuri are against the racetrack and motor racing, and reinforces their support for it, their rationale (“Young men have always risen to the challenge of the mountain” Dinwan Dyirribang) and their generosity in sharing the site as a site of significance and an important public resource. Through the Wahluu program we endeavour to build community understanding of Wiradyuri culture, highlight the central importance of Wahluu to the traditional Wiradyuri way of life, and sustain Aboriginal tradition and wisdom for the benefit of future generations, and revitalise yindyamarra in our communities.
history here
Due to geographical isolation, many small towns in central west NSW are widely unknown despite being the epicentre of significant historical events. Some stories are slowly being forgotten at the community level as the generations who carry them die out, and younger generations either haven’t been exposed to the information or aren’t interested or engaged by an inaccessible format. History Here recreates these events & characters, with a clear benefit to the public’s knowledge and enjoyment of the history that surrounds them.
History Here celebrates & promotes the unique historical legacy inherited by communities who might otherwise forget their stories. From traditional stories of the Wiradjuri, first contact history with Europeans, the Chinese experience on the colonial goldfields, bushrangers and bush lunatics, and stories of indomitable women whose struggles wove the stoic fabric of the national character.
For towns throughout central west NSW the loss of local history threatens cultural amnesia. History Here seeks to help reawaken whole communities about the history that has occurred under their feet. Our initial focus is introducing and enthusing regional kids in the history of their place, and then developing their creative abilities to own, interpret and tell their stories in their words.