Merri Merri Wayi Community Day

Merri Merri Wayi Community Day

Saturday April 20th 10am - 2pm @ the CERES Village Green

We are pleased to invite the community to the Merri Merri Wayi Community Day! Please join Wurundjeri Elders, the community, and local organisations in this special event at the CERES Village Green (map here). 

There will be: 

🖤 Storytelling with Wurundjeri Elders

🔥 Fireside Yarns

🏫 Conversations with Mayors from Merri-bek City Council and Darebin City Council

💚 Learning about Indigenous knowledge, ways to connect and care for nature, and thriving in healthy communities.

🍲 Yummy local eats & coffee 

Full program below.

💧 More on Merri Merri Wayi 

Merri Merri Wayi is Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung language gifted by Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Elder Aunty Gail Smith. In English it means Merri Creek (Merri Merri) and Us (Wayi).

Merri Merri Wayi brings echoes from a rich past and guides us to an optimistic future. It recognises that this precious waterway and its surrounds exists within communities that interact with it in diverse ways. 

For some it’s a peaceful and safe place to connect with and care for nature. For some it’s a place where families gather on the weekend for kid’s sport. For some it’s a transport corridor to ride a bike to work. And for some it’s a place to recognise, celebrate and learn from Indigenous knowledge and the many cultures which make up our communities.

For the many species of plants and animals which live in and migrate along the creek, it is essential for survival.

Such an accessible biodiversity corridor of this scale is a precious asset so rare in major cities around the world. As the pressures of urban development threaten this asset, it is vital that we come together to help shape planning to nurture a thriving and healthy ecosystem in a thriving and healthy community. 

This is the essence of Merri Merri Wayi.

To be part of the conversation, visit https://conversations.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/merri-merri-wayi

🕙 Program

Time	Session	Speaker
10:00am	Event opens	MC
10:10am	Welcome to Country	Wurundjeri Elder, Uncle Bill Nicholson
10.45am	Wurundjeri Storytelling	Wurundjeri Elder, Uncle Bill Nicholson
11:15am	How Council priorities nurture a thriving and healthy ecosystem for a thriving and healthy community and meet the priorities heard from the community	Merri-bek and Darebin City Councils
11:45am	Fireside Yarns Community education and involvement  Indigenous ecological and cultural knowledge  Connecting to and caring for nature  Peaceful and safe space  Recreational use   Shared pedestrian and cycle use	Merri Merri Wayi Reference Group & Community representatives
11:45am	Community Says Recording what the community learnt and valued about the Merri Merri Wayi Community Day	Short videos with members of the public
12:15pm	Wurundjeri Storytelling	Wurundjeri Elder, Uncle Bill Nicholson
12:45pm	Get involved in connecting with and caring for nature, learning from Indigenous knowledge, and thriving in  healthy communities.	Merri Merri Wayi Reference Group & Community representatives
2:00pm	Event close	MC