Many thanks to all MRBTA members and community members who attended the 3,000 Generations and the Next One presentation at Margaret River HEART. Please find below a note from MRBTA Chair Stuart Hicks.
Dear Member,
It was tremendous to see the community come out in such strong numbers for last night’s 3,000 Generations and the Next One event, which was presented to a full house of more than 400 people at The Margaret River HEART – Nala Bardip Mia (Our Story House).
Dr. Wayne Webb and I were humbled by the response to our talk, which provided an opportunity to build a deeper understanding of the 3,000 generations of Aboriginal culture and history, and how we can walk a path forward, together.
Wayne and I invited the audience to consider the resilience of the Wadandi People, which has enabled them to manage the land on which we live over the last 60,000 years, and their important role in managing it into the future.
My sincere thanks and appreciation go to Wayne for sharing his family’s stories, his extensive knowledge of the region, and his wisdom. I also thank Traditional Custodian and Red Ochre Award-winning artist, Sandra Hill, for her moving Welcome to Country.
As part of the evening, we were pleased to announce that Undalup Association has invited MRBTA to join the delivery team for its 2025 Bunuru festival event, which promotes and champions Wadandi culture, and demonstrates how to listen to and care for Country.
We felt it was important to bring last night’s event to a broad audience as we recognise that MRBTA is part of this community and has a role to play in it. Through our Capes Foundation division, we are committed to sustaining and building on the values this place holds dear — cultural, social, environmental, heritage, economic, and, of course, the 60,000 years of Wadandi custodianship of this special place.
Such was the will to see a conversation like this take place locally, that many groups and organisations came together to make it happen. These include the Undalup Association, Arts Margaret River and Margaret River HEART, the Margaret River Wine Association, Nature Conservation Margaret River Region, Mindful Margaret River, the Margaret River Business Network and Transition Margaret River, which arranged for the event to be recorded for those who could not be there.
In the coming weeks, Capes Foundation will share the recording of the presentation along with a suggested reading list so that we can continue to build our community’s knowledge and understanding of the place we call home.
Sincerely,
Stuart Hicks
Chair
Photo top: Stuart Hicks (left) and Wayne Webb (right) deliver their joint presentation, 3,000 Generations and the Next One, at Margaret River HEART, 1 November 2023. Image by Ovis Creative