First Nations Collaboration

We acknowledge the Turrbal & Yuggera people, traditional owners of the land the Farm is on,

and their past, present, and emerging Elders.

One of the NSCF goals is to work collectively with First Nations people (especially Yuggera and Turrbal people) towards reparative and empowering action. We have a First Nations Advisory Group which provides advice on the farm’s work, in particular in relation to this goal. Our current First Nations Advisory Group includes Derek Sandy, Dameila Thompson, Dominique Chen and Jacob Birch. We are grateful to all past members of the advisory group, in particular Michael Williams and Odette Best.

In October 2016 a Decolonisation Action Group (DAG), made up of volunteers including staff and Management Committee members, was formed at the Farm. The group worked 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. This initial work from the DAG laid the groundwork for the farm to start integrating our work with First Nations people across all of the farm’s activities. 

NSCF organises activities which:

  •  Acknowledge that we are on Yuggera & Turrbal 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.
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The NSCF community 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.

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