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Echuca - Campaspe

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Echuca Aboriginal Best Start Launch

Minister Garbutt launches the Echuca Aboriginal Best Start Project and announces funding of $400,000.

On Friday 28 April 2006 Minister Garbutt launched the Echuca Aboriginal Best Start Project at the Njernda Aboriginal Corporation Offices in Echuca. Minister Garbutt was welcomed to the launch by Mr Kevin Williams, a member of the Njernda Aboriginal Corporation Board and well renowned local artist. Mr Williams spoke about the importance of the Best Start project for Aboriginal children and their families. He spoke of the need to build confidence in the community and felt that Best Start provided the opportunities to do this and build on the trust required for communities and services to work together in a way that ensures Aboriginal children have the best opportunities to thrive.

The Best Start project also complements the services provided by the Community’s new Family Centre, ‘Yakapna,’ also opened by Minister Garbutt on this day.

The Community seeks real and lasting change that will last beyond the service or program, equipping parents and children with new skills and empowering them to make positive change.

Mr Williams stressed the importance for all services to work in the ‘best interests’ of Aboriginal families and children, maintaining the family unit, enhancing cultural, family and community connections and providing preventative education for the future.

Minister Garbutt added that Best Start was about children “at the beginning of their lives, with so much future ahead of them” and that “Best Start is one way of making sure that it’s a good future”.

Some of the improvements that are anticipated as a result of the Best start project include:

• Better access to child and family support, health services and early education
• Improvements in parents’ capacity, confidence and enjoyment of family life,
• Communities that are more child and family friendly, and
• Culturally sensitive services that work together.

Local dignitaries joining the Minister for this occasion included the Mayor of Echuca, Cr Judi Lawler, the Member for Rodney, Mr Noel Maughan, CEO Njernda Corporation, Ms Karlene Dwyer, Manager Community & Culture, Campaspe Shire Council, Ms Jean Andrews and Ms Connie Forbes, Manager of Community Services, DHS Bendigo.

Numerous families and their children as well as representatives from local community groups, staff from health, education and family support services and Elders attended the launch. One of the highlights of the occasion was the Dance of the Mookjak. This was a bird and animal spirit dance performed by the Njernda dancers. The dancers also performed a dance of celebration to suit this special occasion. After the formal proceedings of the Launch concluded, the Minister then joined the dignitaries to enjoy a BBQ lunch with local Elders and members of the community.

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