Decolonisation Action Group

We acknowledge the Turrbal & Jagera people, traditional owners of the land the Farm is on, and their past, present, and emerging Elders.

In October 2016 a Decolonisation Action Group, made up of volunteers including staff and Management Committee members, was formed at the Farm. The group’s purpose is to build partnerships with First Nations peoples and organisations; to build respect for First Nations culture and understanding of the history of colonisation; and to provide opportunities for First Nations people to learn from our education programs, to be facilitators/ teachers on our education programs, and to gain employment at NSCF.

The Decolonisation Action Group (DAG) has decided to use the term ‘First Nations’ rather than ‘Indigenous’ because this is the preferred terminology used by the national advocacy group, the First Nations Congress.

The DAG organises activities which:

• • Acknowledge that we are on Turrbal & Jagera land
  • Mitigate the harm done by colonisation to the land and its people
  • Tell the stories of the history of this place and people
  • Support engagement with First Nations people
  • Create a space to hear First Nations stories
  • Create a culturally safe place
  • Employ First Nations people to show we value diversity, acknowledge inequity and to learn from and value their knowledge and skills
  • Explore the links between Permaculture and First Nations knowledge and culture.

To read the NSCF statement regarding 26 January, please click here.

Grow, Share, Yarn

A quarterly First Nations food and medicine gathering, for mob by mob. Families welcome.

Next: Sunday 11 September 2022, 11 am to 2 pm
At Northey Street City Farm, 16 Victoria St, Windsor. 

All First Nations mobs are welcome to come along and enjoy a morning of sitting, talking, sharing and learning around urban-based bush foods and medicines.

The events will be held every three months and will include sharing around propagating from seeds/cuttings, soil health, using and identifying foods/medicines, foraging and ‘guerrilla gardening’, connecting stories, and sharing resources.

There will also be some native grain damper cook-ups, native grass weaving, and cups of tea by the fire.

BYO seeds, cuttings, or foods/medicines to share, or just come along and take some plants home.

The Northey Street City Farm markets will be happening from 6 am – 11 am, for you to enjoy as well.

Hope to see you there!

For more information, please email Dominique Chen – info@walkingstory.com.au.

DAG Activities in 2022

• • • 4 Grow Share Yarn gatherings facilitated by Dominique Chen .
    • The Farms PDC had its’ first, First Nations person graduate and a second very close to finishing.  
    • Jacob Birch joined the First Nations Advisory Group.    
    • We received a Bank Australia grant for Dominique Chen to develop and on line training resource to accompany regenerative agriculture and permaculture courses in Australia. It will give participants an opportunity to explore ways to practically and meaningfully engage with First Nations people, protocols, and perspectives, towards a more equitable and respectful, land-based future.  
    • First Nations content appeared widely at the 2022 Winter Solstice Festival including Barkindji woman and hip-hop artist Baarka, as the head line act. We were extremely fortunate to have Bruce Pascoe present on the topic Native grains and food sovereignty.  
    • City Farm Nursery launched the pay-it-forward Native Plant programme to support First Nations communities to re-generate land in a way that heals country and supports communities’ knowledge and connection with native plant food and medicine. 

DAG Activities in 2021

• • • We provided a free tour for year five students from the Murri School.
    • We awarded part-scholarship places to 3 First Nations participants on our Permaculture Design Course.
    • We involved First Nations performers at our solstice and equinox events.
    • We held meetings with our First Nations Advisory Group and welcomed Dominique Chen and Jacob Birch to join the group.
    • In March we provided a free workshop to First Nations participants – ‘Foodways, Our ways, Always: First Nations Urban Food Growing and Food Usage’ – with the support of a grant from Bank Australia.
    • In April we hosted a ‘Decolonising Food Forum’ at the Australasian Permaculture Convergence with First Nations presenters Dominique Chen, Gerry Turpin and Jacob Birch.
    • We changed the FNAG terms of reference to increase the number of members from 4 to 6.
    • Held the inaugural Grow, Share, Yarn session run by and for First Nations People.

Past DAG Activities