Kombumerri People of the Gold Coast

Hi everyone! If you’re free Sunday please come along to the first anniversary of Shakti Global at Broadbeach Community Centre 10am!
Register your attendance here - https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1327726

We love this art installation by Goompi 😍

Kaiala Kombumerri family greeting 😊

Aboriginal Languages Week, and this year’s theme is “Languages Alive, Culture Thrives!" 🙌

Below is an image with different greetings in various Indigenous languages.
Do you know your traditional greeting?

A massive congratulations to Justine Dillon who received Community Member of the Year at the Queensland Department of Education South East Region 2023 NAIDOC Awards. It was a deadly night highlighting the efforts and achievements of students, staff and community members throughout state schools in our region. 👏🏽

Kombumerri Rangers were recently up at Cairns for the Queensland Indigenous Womens Ranger Network Forum listening, learning and collaborating with mob from across the state

We just want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible work from the Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Forum! 💜 From the inspiring conversations, to the unique bond shared between the rangers assembled - this is an event that's sure to stay with us for years to come! 🙏🏼 Watch this amazing video of the event held in Cairns May 2023.!

https://youtu.be/N6us5zbY6Tg

Thank you to Gus from Styledia for another fantastic video.

Kombumerri woman Emily Pugin recently returned from New York after representing Australia at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 👏🏽 well done cuz!!

The separation of North and South Stradbroke Islands was a significant event in our local history. Our people walked the islands for thousands of years, maintaining connections with neighbouring clans. Thankfully, the separation of islands has not resulted in separations from one another today.

The Cambus Wallace, which was shipwrecked off Stradbroke Island on the 3 September 1894, while carrying a cargo of explosives, whiskey and coins. The explosion which was carried out deliberately to destroy the wreck, is considered to have resulted in the separation of North and South Stradbroke Islands. Image courtesy of John Oxley Library, SLQ.

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At 5am on Australia Day, I’ll be attending an event at Firth Park in Mudgeeraba, hosted by Kombumerri leaders Ngarang-Wal Gold Coast Aboriginal Association Incorporated. The public are welcome to join us.

Aunty Justine Dillon, a local Kombumerri leader, has orchestrated this event with my office which will include a smoking ceremony, healing ceremony and “truth-telling” element, exploring the difficult past our area has with it’s First Nations history. Where there has been pain and persecution, there must be acknowledgment and understanding of the wound, before healing can begin. I am hoping this event can step toward that and Aunty Justine, Goompi and the team from Kombumerri Rangers have been amazing partners, both for their environmental & educational work across our hinterland and in planning and delivering this event.

This event is not about broader First Nations issues in Australia (although that may come up, of course) but is hoped to be a step forward in our community to bring awareness and compassion to a terrible incident that happened many years ago, that has never been addressed, as I understand. I am very humbled that Justine and her family have committed to helping my office through this sensitively.

Later on Australia Day, I’ll be visiting the Gold Coast Hinterland Heritage Museum for their commemoration, and then MCing the Citizenship Ceremony at Mudgeeraba Memorial Hall with Lions Club of Mudgeeraba Inc.. It’s going to be a big day.

You can read a little about the event here;
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/news/gold-coast/the-coast-for-the-first-time-will-host-a-healing-ceremony-for-first-people-to-kick-off-australia-day/news-story/7e02c5d746e9dc82ece5616fa8ac9662

Bond University acknowledges the Kombumerri people, the traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which the university now stands. We pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging.