Aboriginal Culture, Heritage
& Arts Association of NSW

Strength in cultural beliefs, connection to Country, family and community

Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG) takes its name from the sacred sites of Narran Lakes or Dharriwaa, meaning common meeting place. The DEG operates from main street Walgett premises which house Elders meeting rooms, a Keeping Place including local history and culture exhibitions produced from the organisation’s living and archived cultural knowledge. Other DEG exhibitions are housed by the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service and on a series of interpretive signs along three Walgett Namoi River walking tracks.

Aboriginal people represent around 70% of Walgett’s population, and are mainly from Yuwaalaraay, Gamilaraay, Ngayimbaa and Wayilwan language groups who settled in Walgett after moving from the three NSW-managed “missions” of Angledool Aboriginal Station, Walgett Aboriginal Station (now Gingie Village), Pilliga Aboriginal Station and surrounding pastoral properties.

The Walgett diaspora is spread around eastern NSW and another important role for our organisation is to support many Aboriginal people who contact us to trace and renew lost family connections.

The Walgett Aboriginal community has significant strengths founded in its cultural values, connections to Country, family and community loyalty, and strong local community organisations including the Dharriwaa Elders Group and the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service.

After operating under the auspice of the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service since 1999, DEG became an incorporated association and recognised as a charity and deductible gift recipient in 2005. Its Full Members are Aboriginal people over 60 who live in Walgett and its directors are known as Elders Councillors. Projects of the group aim to support Aboriginal Elders to resume leadership roles in the community, keeping active and healthy; promote local Aboriginal cultural knowledge and identity; and develop the Walgett Aboriginal community.

Walgett has a long history of Aboriginal people engaged in political activism, advocacy and research. At the same time, Walgett has been measured in the top ten disadvantaged areas in NSW over many decades. Walgett families are still significantly affected by the Stolen Generations government policies and many other systemic and day to day life issues.

DEG’s model of a holistic association of the aged recognises the primary importance of sustaining living Aboriginal cultural values to maintain the wellbeing of Country and the people and environments supported by it.

DEG has developed an advocacy capacity in Aboriginal cultural heritage, environmental and social policy affairs, forming relationships with landholders, governments, agencies and expert collaborators seeking to influence Walgett’s wellbeing and future. DEG has also developed new service models of frontline caring and troubleshooting for Elders and now children and young people and other community members as resources allow.

The drought, Walgett’s 2019 supermarket fire and Covid19 haven’t helped but DEG has become even more of a vital meeting place being involved in distribution of water, food and PPE to those most in need during emergencies, emergency community communications and again – advocacy about community needs to emergency agencies.

Public health issues have necessarily been a recent focus of our organisation and we are working currently on long term safe drinking water, local food production and engineering capability civic projects. Yuwaya Ngarra-li is the long-term partnership between the Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW)

In 2016, the DEG invited UNSW to partner with them on their vision for change in Walgett after working together over five years on research about Aboriginal people with mental health issues and cognitive disability in the criminal justice system. The purpose of Yuwaya Ngarra-li is for the Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG) and UNSW to work in partnership to improve the wellbeing, social, built and physical environment and life pathways of Aboriginal people in Walgett through collaborating on evidence-based programs, research projects and capacity building, and to evaluate this model of CommUNIty-Led Development as a way of working with other Aboriginal communities. This partnership is strengthening DEG’s holistic approach by providing multi-faculty expertise, robust evidence and influence.