Yanama Budyari Gumada (‘Go/walk with good spirit’) brings together staff and students under the guidance of senior Darug custodian Uncle Lex Dadd to heal Darug Country at Yellomundee/Yarramundi Regional Park in Western Sydney.

The program was a winner in the ‘Benefiting Society’ category at the Australasian Green Gown Awards last year (see Awards and Recognition, December 2019) and will now compete on the world stage against 12 other outstanding international sustainability initiatives.

Program coordinators Associate Professor Sandie Suchet-Pearson and Dr Marnie Graham, a Formas Fellow hosted by the Department of Geography and Planning,  say this international recognition comes at a fitting time, with National Reconciliation Week’s 2020 theme being ‘In This Together’.

“Reconciliation is at the heart of our work, bringing together many different people with diverse knowledges to heal Country and prioritising learning from the old ways in order to do something new.

“We are so proud of our work together and of Uncle Lex’s commitment to yanama budyari gumada. Through our regular culture camps on Darug Ngurra (Darug Country) we have enabled more than 700 people to connect with Darug Ngurra culture and knowledges, and we’re excited to share our work with the world through this nomination.”

The International Green Gown Award winners will be announced on 8 July as part of the United Nations High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

Yanama Budyari Gumada acknowledges the generous support of NSW Environmental Trust in funding this project.