Trangie’s Wungunja Cultural Centre will digitally preserve and protect the centre’s valuable cultural collection thanks to a $100,000 Creative Capital investment by the NSW Government.
Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said the Wungunja Cultural Centre participated in the first phase of a First Nations Digitisation Project during its 12-month pilot phase, and this funding extends the project for a further two years.
“The Wungunja Cultural Centre already plays an incredibly active role in educating the community about the region’s rich Aboriginal culture and heritage,” Mr Saunders said.
“This funding will enable them to employ another part-time digital officer, as well as a school-based trainee one day per week.
“With additional resources and state-of-the-art technology, Wungunja will be able to professionally manage and preserve its collections for future generations, not just in Trangie but further afield, with copies of their records to be shared with the State Library of NSW!”
Trangie Aboriginal Land Council CEO Terrie Milgate said welcomed the funding.
“Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, the community loves this space, and they have a real sense of ownership,” Ms Milgate said.
“It’s a place of education so the schools come over and learn a lot as well.
“It’s a very valuable centre for the community and we just hope that we get more visitation. That’s what we’d like to see.”
Wungunja Cultural Centre will collaborate with three other regional Aboriginal Cultural Centres, sharing in a total of $800,000 Creative Capital funding. The three centres are Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place; Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre Aboriginal Corporation at Deniliquin; and Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Corindi.
The co-design funding model is supported by a collaborative partnership involving Create NSW, State Library of NSW and Aboriginal Culture, Heritage & Arts Association (ACHAA), with each partner organisation providing support to the Cultural Centres to ensure their success.