Connecting on Country

By Caryn Rogers

Posted in Culture

The Flinders Ranges is a breathtakingly beautiful stretch of Australian landscape. Having captured the attention of countless hikers, travellers and photographers, those who still hold the strongest affinity with the Ranges are the traditional owners, the Adnyamathanha people. This is the people born onto this harsh yet magnificent landscape.

As Rev Denise Champion jokes, the Adnymathanha are the original rock group, with Adnya meaning “rock” and Mathanha meaning “people” in the native tongue.

But, like many Aboriginal elders, Aunty Denise and her sister Pauline McKenzie, are concerned about the future of their young people and the future of their ancient culture. This concern is not empty. Rituals and languages of Aboriginal nations are finding it difficult to survive and find a voice in many areas of Australia – even on country. Young Indigenous Australians are struggling to find their place and sense of identity. This plays out with often tragic effects, like poor life expectancy, mental health issues and suicide.

“We want this to be a place of healing,” said Aunty Pauline. “Not just for Adnyamathanha people but for all Aboriginal people.”

“This place” which Aunty Pauline refers to is the Hawker Cultural Hub that, after laying in wait for a number of years, is finally beginning its renewal.

The Hub is a small plot of land, just off the Outback Highway on Elder Terrace in Hawker, bought a number of years ago by a group called the United Yuras. This group was made up of representatives from a number of different Aboriginal people groups. It was long hoped that this house and its surrounding land could be a meeting place for Aboriginal people to remember, to refresh and to renew their Aboriginal heritages.

Though the members of that original group have passed on, the land has remained as a potential site for “something”. Over time, it became cluttered with junk and rubbish. In 2014, the dream to “do something” with this property was renewed when Angela Beattie from Artesian Foundation connected with local elders, Aunties Denise and Pauline, and asked what their hopes were and how those could be supported.

So, while many were resting over the October long weekend, a group of volunteers and staff from Artesian Foundation headed out to Hawker to begin a week long adventure, culminating in the building of a garden on the site of the Hub.

The Artesian Foundation is a not-for-profit initiative that connects corporates with causes through event-based experiences. They saw that there was a need in this region and, through building relationships along the way, discovered the vision of the Hub and the youth-led grassroots initiatives of Ninnal Seed and Dusty Feet Mob, both located in nearby Port Augusta.

Dusty Feet Mob is an indigenous dance troupe which engages young people in storytelling through dance. It is run by Wanita Calyun and has been so popular that children are now on a waiting list to join.

Ninnal Seed is an initiative run by Rhanee Lester, her husband John Tsetakos, and Jesse Size. It helps kids engage with their Aboriginality through sand play, drum beats, quality time, conversations and more.

For the past 12 months there have been many phone calls and meetings regarding this 5-9 October event. There was much to do at the Hub site – and much to clear.

Local Uniting Church and Frontier Services leader, Pastor Gary Ferguson called on his support networks and secured necessary support from Scots Church Adelaide – in the shape of a skip bin. There could have been no success without this unglamorous donation as the site was difficult to access and impossible to plant only two months ago.

Partnering with Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation meant that the Artesian team could rely on experts in the field to create a garden that would thrive in the challenging soil of Hawker. This organisation creates regionally appropriate gardens in consultation with, and with the hands-on support of, the local community.

Speaking early on with the Aunties, it was easy to see the passion that there was for regional plants – for bush tucker and bush medicine. They wanted to build a garden that celebrated their heritage, that would thrive in those conditions, and would also contain other vegetables that the Hawker community rarely saw in their home town – fresh herbs, greens and sun-ripened tomatoes.

After spending the day on Tuesday hearing the vision of hope for the region, corporates from businesses across Adelaide were driven to the site of the Hub and, after seeing the site map, looked around and asked, “what can we do?” Though accustomed to sitting at desks in temperature-regulated offices, these corporates made light work of the final clearing that needed to be done of the property and helped set up for the garden build the following day.

With support from families involved with Dusty Feet Mob and Ninnal Seed, as well as a fresh intake of corporate guests, the garden was built and the local community drawn together with the vision of watching it grow and filling it with their new stories, new recipes and new memories.

The Hawker Cultural Hub will continue to grow from here, with visions of an art gallery and a shop to sell local artifacts and foods, as well as a space for the land and culture to come alive through story, song and scent.

You are welcome to drop by next time you are driving out to the Flinders Ranges – Aunty Pauline and others might just be there to greet you.


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