Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Hume City Council employs an Access and Support Officer who is able to assist our community elders and families who have a member with a disability or illness to access aged care, home and community care or disability services. This can help people to remain living at home. The Access and Support Officer can provide information only or support you through the process to access services. For more information about this service visit Commonwealth Home Support Programme

Elders On The Move Social Support Group offers Commonwealth Home Support Programme eligible Elders living in the Community the opportunity to come together and have a yarn. The group offers a range of activities including; social, cultural, arts and craft, music, cooking, light exercise and outings. Transport is available to and from the group. For more information visit the Commonwealth Home Support Programme

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Team assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children from birth to school age to connect with the following support services:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Parent Engagement Worker
• Maternal and Child Health Nurse
• Aboriginal Parents as Teachers Worker

For more information see Children

In June 2018, Council established a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Working Group. This group’s purpose is to inform Council of key issues, concerns and priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members. The group provides advice, input and feedback on policies, plans and services to support inclusion and participation of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Membership includes 5 community members and one appointed Councillor. Membership of the Committee will be for a two-year term and the RAP Working Group meets every month.

An Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners can be done by anyone and is a way of showing awareness of, and respect for, the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of the land on which a meeting or event is being held. For example, at Hume City Council the following words are used:

Hume City Council recognises the rich Aboriginal heritage within the municipality and acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, which includes the Gunung-Willam-Balluk clan, as the Traditional Custodians of this land. Council embraces Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander living cultures as a vital part of Australia’s identity and recognises, celebrates and pays respect to the existing family members of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and to Elders past, present and future.

Protocols for formally welcoming guests to Country (Tanderrum) have been a part of Aboriginal culture for thousands of years. A Welcome to Country is a way of recognising and paying respect to Aboriginal people and acknowledging their ongoing connection to Country. A Welcome to Country ceremony is performed by Aboriginal Traditional Owners for people visiting their Country. These ceremonies vary from speeches of welcome to traditional dance and smoking ceremonies and are typically conducted by a community elder or known representative of that Traditional Owner group. A Welcome to Country usually occurs at the opening of an event. A Welcome to Country can be arranged through the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. Bookings should be made well in advance of the event date.

Book a Welcome to Country through the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation

As part of Hume City Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2020-2022 commitments, Council is working in partnership with the community to develop and install a permanent Stolen Generations Marker in Hume.   

• The Marker will pay tribute to the Stolen Generations – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities and denied their identity, family, traditional culture and country through race-based policies implemented by State and Federal Governments between 1910 and the 1970s.
• The Marker will acknowledge the harm caused to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities across the nation and will serve as a reminder about the terrible injustice caused by successive governments on Aboriginal people and the impacts it is still causing today.
• Hume City Council is committed to recognising the lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families impacted by these past policies, and the installation of a permanent Marker will serve to provide a place for Stolen Generations and all Australians to reflect on historical wrongs and help our communities to find a sense of peace, identity and belonging.
• The location of the Stolen Generations Marker will be determined through a consultation process with members of the Stolen Generations and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, and especially those that have a strong connection to the area. As part of Hume City Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2018-2022 commitments, Council is undertaking a project to develop a permanent Stolen Generations Marker in the Hume area.

Current status of project:

Location

Throughout November 2020, Hume sought feedback from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community regarding their preferred location for the Marker. Guided by the Stolen Generations Marker Working Group, a location will be endorsed by Council in early 2021.

More information about the consultation can be found here.  

Artist selection process

 An artist Expression of Interest (EOI) process was recently undertaken and closed on 30 November 2020. In 2021, a group of shortlisted artists will progress to stage 2 and be funded to develop concepts for the Marker, under the guidance of the Stolen Generations Marker Working Group.

Contact Us

If you’re interested in confidentially sharing your stories, suggestions, comments or feedback please contact the project team on the details below:

Corey Williams 9205 2377

David Henry 9205 2448

stolengenerationsmarker@hume.vic.gov.au

By Post: Corey Williams, Community Development Officer, Hume City Council, PO Box 119, Dallas, VIC, 3047.

If you would like to receive updates on the Stolen Generations Marker Project and find out how you can have your say, please register your details.

Privacy and confidentiality People’s privacy and confidentiality will be respected before, during and after community engagement activities have taken place. Participants’ personal information will remain confidential and will be managed in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2001 and Council’s Information Privacy and Health Records Procedure.

For further information about the Stolen Generations see the Healing Foundation’s Fact Sheet

In April 2020, Hume City Council established a working group that guides the project. The group includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, community members affected by the impacts of the Stolen Generations and representatives from peak bodies including Connecting Home and Link-Up Victoria.

The group meets monthly and their work has covered:

• Developing site and location principles;
• Assessing potential marker sites;
• Providing advice on the future Artist Brief and EOI process;
• Providing guidance on the best approaches for engaging with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community;
• Creating linkages to relevant organisations and community members; and
• Providing guidance to Council Officers on the connection between the Stolen Generations Marker project and broader truth-telling processes.

The Stolen Generations Working Group guides the development and creation of a Stolen Generations Marker in the City of Hume and provides advice to Council on:

• The project plan;
• The engagement process;
• The design of the Marker;
• The location of the Marker;
• Appropriate artists for the Marker;
• The launch of the Marker when the project is complete;
• Future use of the Marker (including potential celebrations and community events);
• Effective ways for Council to promote awareness of the Stolen Generations in the broader community;
• and Monitoring and Evaluation the project.

Stolen Generation Marker Working Group - Terms of Reference(PDF, 131KB)