New Home, New Start for Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre
02-06-2025
After more than 20 years of working with and building its community, Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre has a new permanent home in Deniliquin on Wamba Wamba Perrepa Perrepa Country.
With a centrepiece of a massive multi-purpose space for conferences exhibitions, the new home is a cultural museum, knowledge holder, arts hub and beacon for the whole community and region.
Yarkuwa Chair Aunty Jeanette Crew OAM (pictured after just cutting the ribbon) says the opening “marks a new chapter that started more than 20 years ago”.
“Over those years the work that this centre and its team has done has invested more than $20m dollars into the Deniliquin economy, as well as provided employment opportunities for more than 100 members of the community,” she said at the opening to a gathering of more than 200 people.
Yarkuwa Manager David Crew, added that their new space was not just a long-standing vision being realised, but instead a result of a decades long commitment to following community need, and growing to meet those needs.
Through a long-planned coinciding conference and cultural gathering, more than 40 ACHAA members attended the opening (see separate story).
A founding ACHAA member as well as through Aunty Jeanette Crew’s continuing leadership as ACHAA Chair, Yarkuwa has been a beacon for the association and the sector. Steve Miller, spoke of this connection at the opening event, saying; “Yarkuwa’s courageous development has guided us on our own journey; we have grown together”.
“The opening of this new home marks a significant milestone for the Yarkuwa, and for other NSW Aboriginal cultural organisations. The facilities and programming at Yarkuwa show a directional inspiration for our Living Centres for Living Cultures,” he said. “Through their ongoing commitment to culture and community hand-in-hand, Yarkuwa’s new home will empower future generations as a lasting legacy, with the best yet to come.”
It was a TAFE family history project and the community realisation that it needed to be preserved in a safe place that led to the establishment of Yarkuwa in 2003.
Yarkuwa now employs 20 staff including Rangers Caring for Country, language experts teaching in schools, general staff and an artists co-ordinator. Working with youth, developing future generations, is a key focus, alongside working with Elders to gather and store knowledge through a collection digitisation program.
A key turning point came in 2022 when Create NSW awarded Yarkuwa $715,000 in an open competitive infrastructure funding round, kick starting its search for a new permanent home, finally seeing potential in the long disused Windourin Shire Council building. More recently Aboriginal Affairs provided funding for the separate workshop area and National Indigenous Australians Agency came to the party with support for the opening.
ACHAA supported KINJA ‘s performance through its NSWALC funding as its cultural gift for the hosts plus a carved emu egg from member Dharriwaa Elders Group of Walgett. Yarkuwa’s own Waripa dancers performed on the night as did the Benny Walker Band.
Create NSW was represented on the night as was State Library of NSW which has guided the digitisation program. Former Create NSW Minister Ben Franklin, responsible for the infrastructure funding, sent a special video message of congratulations.
ACHAA is grateful to the NSW Aboriginal Land Council for its support recognising the conference and opening as events of statewide significance. Yarkuwa acknowledges the generous support of Create NSW, Aboriginal Affairs NSW and the National Indigenous Australians Agency alongside the many friends and businesses contributors.
