Opening - Yila Corroboree

The Yila Healing Trail opens on Friday afternoon with a ceremony inviting and welcoming all to be part of what is on offer for the next ten days.

Down in Paringa Park in Nowra, which has much Cultural significance around here in association with Cullunghutti Mountain, as a part of the Dreaming Tracks, we welcome you to our Coroborree. Where fresh water comes travelling songlines down to meet saltwater songlines and unite our absolute connection - Gupoo Ngullie -- bubbly water.

Walk through the Smoking Ceremony into the grounds of Paringa and join us for a Welcome to Country with our precious Elders, Aunty Ruth Simms, Aunty Margaret Samoes, Uncle Sonny Simms and Uncle Paul Mcleod.

Sit or lie down and be treated to the sound of Didge with David Little, Reconnecting to Country and presencing yourselves before the evening ahead.

Amanda Reynolds will take us through a heartfelt healing which brings us all into the space and intention of the Yila Healing Trail.

We then welcome Mudjingaal Yangamba, our incredible local Elder and up and coming women's choir to sing up Country through the local languages Dharawal and Dhurga to revitalise Culture and bring our Country back alive.

We have invited two delicious food trucks  Ola Chola and Nani's to join us down at Paringa and are shouting dinner from these 2 trucks for the first 350 local Aboriginal Community members who join us. If you are from Community just let us know when you are booking so we can extend this mark of Respect to you. We also have Tea Journeys joining us and a cake stall so you can keep yourselves topped up and sweet.

Please note this is an alcohol free event.

International artist, Àine Tyrrell, is joining us from afar, up on the rock, with her amazing songs in support of Aboriginal Community and reminding us of all our part in the healing. We also welcome Ash Mac to the stage with her song ' Never Letting Go' and whatever she chooses to sing us

Our MC, Joe Brown McLeod, has invited dancers from the south-east coast to be with us alongside members of Doonoooch Dancers for the evening Corroboree, including Gumaraa and Warren Foster and the Gulaga dancers connected through bloodlines through Country. 

It will be a night of coming together and helping us know, down to our bones, that this Always was, Always is and Always will be Aboriginal Land.

A fact we can draw strength from.

We honour and respect our Elders past and continue to practice our traditions into the present and more so into the future.