Minister Garbutt Launches the Geelong Aboriginal Best Start Project.

On Tuesday 11 th April 2006 Minister Garbutt launched the Geelong Aboriginal Best Start Project at the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative. Minister Garbutt was welcomed to the launch by Mr Trevor Edwards, Chief Executive Officer, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative.

Trevor Edwards announced that the project would take on the title of - Mingo Waloom - meaning “beginning steps” and spoke about the importance of the Best Start project for Aboriginal children and their families.

Minister Garbutt acknowledged the aboriginal name given to the project commenting on Best Start being 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”.

Families are the foundation of Aboriginal communities and therefore the preservation of Aboriginal families is the responsibility of both the individual families themselves, and of Aboriginal communities. The power for change and its positive effects lies within the individual, the family and the Aboriginal community.

One of the highlights of the occasion was the dance around the ‘fire’ by the Milla Milla playgroup children and the release of balloons.