In our fifth year of Turruk – Trustbuilding Through Truth Telling, three exciting projects mark the first part of 2025.
Dreaming the Past to Remember the Future
Celebrating our 90th Trustbuilding event, the Turruk Community Program for 2025 opened on Sunday 23 February with a memorable ‘Global Indigenous Yarn’. It was led by First Nations elders Tata Juan from El Salvador and Merilyn Merm Duff, Trawoolawoy woman living in Wurundjeri lands.
Tata Juan challenged our ways of knowing, with his workshop titled “Dreaming the past to Remember the Future”, using stories of ancient Mayan cosmology, ecological foresight and search for sacred balance.
A centre piece by Boon Wurrung women Bianca and Amber Easton tied together intercultural contributions, including a traditional Gaelic earth song by Kathryn Farrell, drumming and poetry by Colm McNaughton and Mike Lowe.
Heart Spirit Home
On March 11, our Trustbuilding program marked an exciting new creative initiative with a special collaboration with the Master of Architecture students at University of Melbourne. “Armagh Redux, Heart Spirit Home” is a 12-week speculative design studio proposing Aboriginal Aged care, with Intercultural and intergenerational community facilities and housing, all re-imagining Armagh as a site of cultural significance shaping the future of allyship.
The group of culturally diverse students will be guided by architects Kate McMahon and Rob Nerlich from the Melbourne School of Design, by Stephen Thorpe and Abe Sharman from Sustainative, and by Sarah Naarden from Initiatives of Change Australia. Their proposals will form conceptual designs for combining new accommodation and restoring the Armagh homestead, reimagining community facilities with accessible wellness spaces, a cafe, a gallery, restoring the ballroom, upgrading the kitchen and integrating yarning spaces in a native garden.
Preliminary ideas maybe shared during the upcoming event – Sustaining Country and Gourmet Native Bush Foods with Stephen Thorpe, Sunday 30 March, 5-8 pm at Armagh. See here for more details.
Weaving Three Stories Project
From May to July, Turruk will be served through a partnership with Fishermans Bend Ideas, as part of City of Melbourne placemaking strategies. A series of yarning and weaving workshops will bring together Boon Wurrun woman Bianca Easton, First Nations culturalists and allies. The invitation is extended to our Turruk community of all genders and children over 10 years of age. The project aims to attract intercultural engagement in transitioning Fishermans Bend precinct to create an ongoing sense of belonging, inclusion and thriving placemaking. This three month pilot program starts in Reconciliation Week on Saturday 31 May, 2 – 5 pm and continues on Saturday 21 June and Saturday 26 July. See here for more details and tickets.