General News
16 December, 2025
Festival success for BGLC
A grassroots connection with the river, the land, and each other was the highlight of the Wotjobaluk Festival, celebrating the 20-year milestone of Native Title recognition on Saturday, December 13.
A grassroots connection with the river, the land, and each other was the highlight of the Wotjobaluk Festival, celebrating the 20-year milestone of Native Title recognition on Saturday, December 13.
The festival was held on the riverbank at Horseshoe Bend campgrounds and attracted more than 500 people.
Barengi Gadjin Chairperson Chris Harrison said the day was a huge success.
"To see family coming together, connecting, interacting, and just being together has been amazing," he said,
"That's what the day is all about. The kids have been in the river, and the connections to that river and the land are what our people are all about, and you can't buy that."
Mr Harrison said the organisers had worked hard to bring the festival to fruition.
He said the festival was probably even more than the Elders who worked to bring about Native Title could have imagined, but they would be looking back on the day and the progress achieved over the two decades.
"We are walking in the shadow of giants," he said, referring to the people who no longer were here but who had created the platform for the future.
"Some of the kids here today are future leaders of the future, keeping the fire burning and making sure the legacy continues," he said.
He said there had been many changes in that time, with a gradual process of extending the invitation to the general public and opening up to the wider community, whereas in the earlier days events had been limited to the Mob, invited guests, and allies.
The program began with cultural workshops, meditation, welcome and dance performances, followed by a cultural burning presentation, a cultural heritage river walk and a language workshop.
Mr Harrison said it was a day to build on for the future of the young ones coming on.
The evening program was open to the public and featured entertainment and a night market culminating in an immersive projection experience of Our Place Our Story, bringing together stories, voices and living culture of the Wotjobaluk Nations.
The light show extended throughout the trees and surroundings, continuing along the river's edge in an expansive display of the creators' story and talent.
The installations included Elders Portraits, Bunji, Barra, Dreaming Patterns, Tchingal, Talking Tree 2 and 3, Elders Film, Possum Skin Cloak Animation, and Community Interviews.
There were also five Artwork Lights of Wotjobaluk Nations.
Filmmaker Tracey Rigney created the Festival Artwork.
" I wanted to capture the landscape of the Wotjobaluk Nations and create an artwork that reflects our strong connection to the land and through our Ancestors' dreaming stories," she said.
"Especially Goruk the Magpie."
While she was working on the artwork, the magpies were talking loudly; she said to her that it meant the Elders were telling her to tell their story through her artwork.
"Goruk held up the sun to bridge the gap between night and day"
"I see this in our Mob today and especially for Native Title, how these before us led the way, holding up the sun for us to shine brightly to care for Country and to live our Culture our way," she said.
Artwork was also created by the community, and Our Place Our Story was a collaboration between Pink Lake Creative (Tracey Rigney), the Dalki Murrup Ceremonial Performance Group, The Dreaming Project, and The Little Projector Company.
Organisers said the project could not have happened without all the collaborators, whose contributions were invaluable to the event's success.
