<< BACK TO CONTENTS As well as freshening the water for native plants and animals and improving the river’s useability and amenity for the cricketers, spectators and others, the environmental flows resulted in many other benefits including support for cultural heritage values (such as scarred trees and native plants, which are sources of traditional foods and medicines). The benefits flow on Wimmera CMA Aboriginal Water Officer Ben Muir said one of the most significant benefits for Traditional Owners of the River Yarns project was the opportunity to reconnect with many parts of their Country. “The elders had not been to some of these places for a long time. It was very emotional to go back there,” Ben said. The river trips and community gatherings drew out memories and stories that have not been shared for decades. Jane Walker said another benefit had been building cross-cultural understanding about the Glenelg and Wimmera rivers. “Part of the journey is learning about the river system, learning about the knowledge Traditional Owners have about the river and about the history of the river, and combining that with modern management approaches and western science,” she said. A key benefit of both projects has been the opportunity to build relationships that will provide the foundation for longer-term projects. Through Towards Cultural Flows and River Yarns, Gunditj Mirring and Barengi Gadjin have developed relationships with the CMAs as well as with other water and land agencies, other Aboriginal organisations, community groups, ecologists and archaeologists. “We had fantastic feedback from everyone involved,” Wimmera CMA Community Delivery Manager Joel Boyd said. “It is really just the start of ongoing discussions with the local community to build partnerships and work together to create opportunities.” Traditional Owners getting involved in the Towards Cultural Flows project on the Glenelg River, by Glenelg Hopkins CMA From little things, big things grow Stories from the River Yarns project are now being shared at gatherings and through performances, films and an interactive online story map. The Towards Cultural Flows project team have been having similar gatherings to tell their story, and they have presented their knowledge at conferences. Gunditj Mirring and Barengi Gadjin hope that projects like these will ensure local Aboriginal values and customary uses are better linked to water planning and river management. For a long time, Aboriginal groups have been calling for water rights and meaningful participation in water management across Australia. These projects respond to Traditional Owner rights and interests in waterway management and they are generating many opportunities to improve the health of Aboriginal people and Country. Reflections – Environmental watering in Victoria 2016–17 | 54
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