Wiyn-murrup Yangarramela wins

Wiyn-murrup Yangarramela wins the 2017 Fire Awareness Award
The Government and Industry Partnership Award recognises fire projects that demonstrate Government and Industry collaborating with communities and stakeholders to form meaningful partnerships.
Wiyn-murrup Yangarramela means ‘fire spirit comes back’ in the Wadawurrung language, and is a joint project led by Corangamite CMA through funding from the National Landcare Program.  The working group included Wadawurrung Traditional owners, Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative, Aboriginal community, Golden Plains Shire, Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, Parks VIC, DELWP and CFA.
Through extensive engagement the project has seen the mergence of strong cross organisational relationships working together to support Traditional Owners and Aboriginal people to access Country and practice traditional burning to fulfill their inherent responcibility to care for Country.

‘Agencies understanding and embracing their level of involvement, as directed by Traditional Owners and Aboriginal peoples aspirations, has been key to the success of this project. Their role is to enable and empower Aboriginal people to fulfil these aspirations’ said the Indigenous NRM Facilitator Angela Jeffery from Corangamite CMA.
Two traditional burns have been completed with the assistance of these agencies at the Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative’s property Wurdi Youang and Bakers Lane reserve Teesdale, which is managed by Golden Plains Shire.  These traditional burns provided the opportunity of cross cultural knowledge exchange for all who attended.  Traditional owners and Aboriginal community members from across Victoria attended along with a number of agencies and environmental groups.
Aunty Nelly Fagg a Tradtional Owner and member of the Victorian Aborginal Heritage Council  said at Bakers Lane Reserve ‘Its just wonderful to see it happen today and I hope the partnerships between DELWP and Parks and CMAs grow and foster this because our Traditional Owners around Victoria are saying this is vital this is so vital to ensure we have healthy Country’.

Watch the workshop film at http://bit.ly/2AqOwR3