Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)
This story was submitted as part of FRRR’s 25th birthday celebrations.
“It has been a good experience being part of the work that FRRR leads in regions like the Shoalhaven. We wish FRRR a big congratulations for the 25 years of practical contributions it has made to building and supporting local communities to thrive and meet their aspirations”
Lynne Dooley, Strategic Policy Manager
“We used FRRR funding to support a number of initiatives within our organisation and our work in decolonising community and health care systems in our region. FRRR funding has supported our social and cultural enterprise, Blak Cede, with resources to build our workforce capacity and grow our business. It has also supported our traditional food garden at Kareela Ngura through the purchase of a water collection system, plant cultivation and education workshops. We have been able to access FRRR funds to support our delivery of decolonisation workshops with members of the community services sector in Nowra, aimed at improving understanding and cultural safety of these organisations for our local Aboriginal communities.
“More recently, FRRR has supported our Aboriginal Women’s Cultural Gathering in Nowra with funds to host the event, enabling us to bring together Aboriginal women from across the region to share stories, participate in cultural activities and ceremony and nurture our connections to community, Country and each other.
“It can be challenging accessing funding for local initiatives that are flexible, are not report heavy, that have a quick turn-around and support capacity building efforts to strengthen our local community networks, programs and infrastructure. Without FRRR, it is unlikely we would have been able to attract funds for these kinds of projects, and therefore the ripple effects from the decolonisation workshops, the progress of our social enterprise and our traditional garden would not have been possible. We tried numerous other sources to support our Women’s Gathering, and these were not successful, so without FRRR we would not be in a position to host this important event.”
Waminda’s vision for the future
“Our vision is that we continue to build a strong and thriving community and social services sector in our region, where Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing are understood, respected and empowered to progress self-determination for our First Nations people.”
