From Country
Gumbaynggirr Country. IMAGE: Trish Walker – Miimi Aboriginal Corporation Bowraville (Photo @alicepaynephotogrpahy) Each month, The Valley Hub is dedicated to introducing, informing, teaching or sharing a little something from country. I’ve been asked to kick off the first issue, so let me introduce myself… Giinagay, my name is Patricia Walker. I was born and bred in the Nambucca Valley and am a proud Gumbaynggirr woman.
I have had many employment positions over the years – been in the three tiers of government and have been a Board Director for many organisations over those years. To say the least, each position gave me vital learnings and growth for which I am grateful. However, the one position that I find very rewarding, other than being a Mum and Grandmother, is being Manager for MiiMi Aboriginal Corporation.
MiiMi is a not for profit, Aboriginal-run corporation that has been in Bowraville for nearly thirty years. The organisation has grown from its humble beginnings and is one of the well-known in the Nambucca area. MiiMi has had lots of challenges over those years but has been well governed by women who have had foresight, daring, and a vision to create change for all Australians.
I am proud of the achievements MiiMi has had over the years with programs like the Indigenous Land & Sea Rangers, Driving Class L and Remember Your Dreaming, just to name a few. The new resource recovery recycle program has now become a game changer and will take MiiMi into the future. Check us out at www.miimi.org.au
You’ll see me around, especially in Bowraville, so please say hello or give me a smile.
Valley Feature
Hello from The Valley Hub Team. We're excited you're here. IMAGE: The Valley Hub Team. Featuring L to R: Ali Buckley, Stefo Kay, Brody Simon, Penny Coulter and Deanna Lines (Photo @alicepaynephotogrpahy) Our hope is that The Valley Hub will be an up-to-date, resourceful, and inclusive space for the whole of the Nambucca Valley Community. How do we make this happen? … We need your help to do this! Please register your service or business using the link here or if you have any events happening in the valley add them here … and let’s build a resource that everyone can tap into that benefits the community as a whole.
About The Valley Hub
The Valley Hub website will feature business and services directories, a shared events calendar, a Community Assets Register and will also share stories on local people, e-news, and podcasts.
The website is a community-led initiative that started in 2019, when the Nambucca Valley was one of five areas identified by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) as a potential candidate for the Investing in Rural Community Futures Program (IRCF).
Each of the five communities was offered the opportunity to apply for a Start Up Grant of $60,000. To apply for the grant, the Nambucca Valley Maarla Marlaangga – Hand in Hand Steering and Advisory Committee was formed, with representatives of local not-for-profit organisations applying via an Expression of Interest process. Local organisation Lifetime Connect was selected to manage the IRCF Start Up grant.
The Steering and Advisory Committee set out to bring together organisations within the Nambucca Valley across generations, interests, cultures, and localities in an inclusive, respectful, socially responsible, and cohesive way. Through discussions with people and organisations throughout the valley the need for a Community Map was identified. The Advisory Committee applied for the Start Up Grant to develop the Community Map and were successful. The Community Map concept evolved into a website and The Valley Hub was born.
To top it off, the Nambucca Valley was selected for the five-year IRCF program. A scoping document was created, and local project manager Ali Buckley was engaged to steer the development of the website, working closely with local graphic designer Stephanie Kay, of On The Farm Creative Services, who developed the logo, branding and web design.
Bowraville Innovative Social Enterprise Precinct (BISEP) members were integral to the IRCF grant application process and sat on the Maarla Marlaangga – Hand in Hand Steering and Advisory Committee.
While developing the concept of the Community Map as a website, BISEP recognised the need for extension to the project and applied for the NSW Government’s Bushfire Local Economic Relief fund and were subsequently approved.
BISEP is a Bowraville based non-hierarchical NFP tasked with promoting community wellbeing through purposeful employment and community partnerships. Creating links to industry and expertise, BISEP has partnered with Aboriginal NFP, Miimi Aboriginal Corporation, to support social enterprise development, and are working towards assisting NFP`s in developing and implementing governance, creating opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration, and promoting initiatives that regenerate economic and sociocultural health.
BISEP has been working alongside community stakeholders and the Maarla Marlaangga Hand in Hand committee to continue supporting and expanding the vision. This includes the expansion of the initial design concept, accessibility features and future-proofing capacity.
Additionally, through secure funding, BISEP have facilitated the development of a concurring mentorship program aimed at engaging ten local youth in aspects of the project including content production, web maintenance, podcast and media production, business, and community development.
With a connected and caring community, The Valley Hub Team are anticipating a bright and sustainable future for the hub, serving the community for many years to come.
If you would like to get involved, please contact the team at info@thevalleyhub.com.au
Our stories
Growing up in Beaconsfield Tasmania and with a strong desire to help people, Paul Wilson knew he would become a Paramedic from the age of twelve. IMAGE: Paul Wilson – Local Nambucca Valley Paramedic Leaving home at 16, Paul joined the Navy as a medic and commenced paramedical training in Bankstown Sydney in the year 2000, during the height of the Heroin epidemic.
Looking for a sea-change, Paul was working in Lightning Ridge in North Western NSW when he embarked on a coastal trip with his wife Carol, daughter Olivia, and sons Brody, Damon and Cameron. Visiting every town with an ambulance station, setting foot on Gumbaynggirr Country felt like coming home.
Hailing from an area with a strong sense of Indigenous culture, Paul and Carol knew that their young family could benefit from the tight knit Aboriginal community and focus on cultural education. The unspoilt coast of Nambucca Heads is where they knew they needed to be.
Having worked in the Valley since 2010, Paul has lived and worked through the impacts of Natural Disaster and the Covid-19 Pandemic. He notes the privilege of working alongside the Health, Police, Fire, and Rescue Services in the Valley; along with the opportunity to see how a small and resilient community has pulled together to support each other in displacement and grief, alongside the commitment to rebuild and refocus.
Paul is gracious in the part he has played to uphold community wellbeing during such a trying time, knowing that his ongoing service is not only integral to the community but also to his colleagues. With no two days ever the same, Paul values the ability to make a difference on what is often the worst day for his patients.
Interested to hear more local stories? Keep an eye out for the ‘Hub Stories’ podcast coming to your ears next month.
Love your local
Have you been Fru’d?... It started with a conversation over a glass of wine and ended with a retail destination endearingly termed ‘fru’. IMAGE: Sisters Carol and Lesley – Lucy Fru Fru Sisters Carol and Lesley bring an authentic and personalised retail experience that has become a staple for treating, gifting, and window shopping alike.
Moving back to the area four years ago, Carol and Lesley settled on their quaint Princess Street shop, aptly named Lucy Fru Fru, after Lesley`s propensity to ‘fluff’ around. It is perhaps this ‘fluffing’ that has earnt the business their longevity and success within the community. With Lesley`s passion and get-up and go, and Carol`s eager client ear, the business has earned its position as a community staple having opened shortly before 2019`s Black Summer.
Carol remembers erecting their famed Christmas window early, hoping to bring some joy to a community in crisis. This was to be a pattern across the breadth of their four years in business seeing out the floods and Covid-19 Pandemic and doing their best to adapt and keep chins up. This has not been without stress, with Carol noting the risk of purchasing sight unseen and over-buying, still, even within these challenges, the sisters have found a way to contribute, quietly donating extensive stock to those impacted by the Lismore floods and supporting local initiatives wherever possible.
Carol and Lesley mark their customers as primary inspiration to keep pushing forward, with many viewing a stop at Fru as non-negotiable in their travels. Noting that some of their most endearing clients have had four legs, Lesley recalls the day a therapy horse viewed the delights of ‘the fru’ and can fondly name their canine regulars and what their humans may like to purchase. With this warmth and familiarity, Lucy Fru Fru has become a beloved community asset and looks set to continue bringing joy to the community for a long time yet. Have you been Fru`d?” Check them out at www.instagram.com/lucyfrufru/
Spotlight on
Karen’s Pumpkin Cake. 500 grams of margarine
Preheat oven to 200C (180C if fan forced)
Cream margarine and sugar together
Add cooled mashed pumpkin and lightly beaten eggs
Finally add dry ingredients and into mix and mix well
Pour mixture into a square lined cake tin
Place in oven and cook for one hour or until golden brown
Serve either warm or cool and spread slice with butter.
Inside knowledge
Winter Wellness.
Local Paramedic, Paul Wilson, featured in this month ‘our stories’ feature, shares his tips for managing winter illness at home.
Make sure you have your flu shot.
Keep supplies at home in case you need to isolate. Staples include: Panadol, Nurofen, masks, prescription medications.
Treat mild symptoms of flu at home.
Get a PCR test if concerned.
See G.P. or ring health direct (1800 022 222 ) if symptoms worsen.
What's on in the Valley
Here are a handful of events and programs coming up in July 2022. Jul 2022: Highlight events
6th July 2022 to 24th August 2022
24 July 2022 to 1 Aug 2022
For more information about the above events or for a list of what else is happening around the Nambucca Valley head to The Valley Hubs calendar of events . You can also request to add upcoming events here .
Let the games begin
Set your brain to our monthly trivia quest. The answers will be shared next month – let us know how you fared. Set your brain to our monthly trivia quest. The answers will be shared next month – let us know how you fared.
JULY Questions:
Which monarch officially made Valentine’s Day a holiday in 1537?
What is the name of the biggest technology company in South Korea?
What is the rarest M&M color?
Which country won the first-ever soccer World Cup in 1930?
What’s the city with the most diversity in terms of language?
The unicorn is the national animal of which country?
In public places in the state of Florida, what’s illegal to do when wearing a swimsuit?
Valley publications
Stay in touch with other Valley publications available.
