Town of Cambridge - Kolbang Yanginy

Galup project brings the community together for truth-telling, connection and healing

Galup is multi-artform project about the history of Galup (Lake Monger), produced by Same Drum and guided by a team of supportive Noongar Elders. The project includes a site-specific performance and a virtual reality work created by Noongar theatre-maker Ian Wilkes and artist/filmmaker Poppy van Oorde-Grainger with an oral history from Noongar Elder Doolann-Leisha Eatts about a massacre at the lake. It also includes free online educational resources and a seven year-long impact campaign.

The Galup project explores the transformative impact of truth-telling, examines the destructive nature of colonisation and brings people together for connection and healing.

The performance premiered at Perth Festival in 2021 and the VR work premiered at WA Museum in association with Perth Festival in 2022 and is currently touring locally and internationally. The project was assisted by Creative Australia, Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and Lotterywest and supported by project partners Town of Cambridge, City of Vincent, Viewport XR, Museum of Freedom and Tolerance, Community Arts Network and Sandbox. The original performance commissioner was Spaced, the festival performance co-producer was Performing Lines WA and current touring partner is Art on the Move.

Background

In 2018, a site-specific performance was created by Noongar theatre-maker Ian Wilkes and artist/filmmaker Poppy van Oorde-Grainger with an oral history from Noongar Elder Doolann-Leisha Eatts about a massacre that happened at Galup (Lake Monger) in 1830. The performance was guided by a team of supportive Noongar Elders and originally commissioned by not-for-profit arts organisation Spaced. Town of Cambridge was asked to provide access to Galup (Lake Monger) for the performance which in 2021 was presented at Perth Festival, co-produced by Same Drum and Performing Lines WA.

In 2020, Same Drum also asked the Town to become a project partner on Galup VR Experience, a 9 minute virtual reality (VR) film based on the performance. The partnership involved the Town’s local history librarian and City of Vincent Local History Centre working with Same Drum to create an on-line educational resource documenting the impact of settler colonisation at Galup (Lake Monger). This free resource was made available via Same Drum’s website as part of the Galup project’s impact campaign.

The impact campaign was designed with the Whadjuk Elders guiding the project and had the following goals:

Increase awareness of Galup (Lake Monger)’s history and significance;
Increase understanding of how the violence of settler colonisation continues to impact Australia today;
Promote the transformative impact of truth-telling as a tool for healing and justice;
Embed history of Galup (Lake Monger) in the curriculum in local schools;
Advocate for a permanent legacy that tells the stories of Galup (Lake Monger) e.g. a memorial, signage and officially restoring its Whadjuk Noongar name; and
Encourage positive collaborations between First Nations people and other Australians by sharing the story of how the Galup project was made.

The arts project and impact campaign increased community support for restoring Lake Monger’s Whadjuk Noongar name and for building a memorial, artworks and signage at the lake to raise awareness of its history and significance and the impact of the massacre that occurred there.

Same Drum also helped broker relationships between the Town and the Whadjuk Traditional Owners working on the project. This led to those Traditional Owners consulting on the Town’s Galup (Lake Monger) Management Plan.

The involvement of the Town of Cambridge and local engagement

The Town of Cambridge recently embarked on its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The work done with the Galup project provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships between Whadjuk Noongar Traditional Owners and Council prior to further development of the RAP.

Working with the Traditional Owners on the Galup Management Plan, which is the guiding document for management of Galup (Lake Monger) over the next decade, also provided an opportunity to develop important programs and projects to consider as part of community consultation.

Town of Cambridge said yes when arts organisations working with Traditional Owners requested their support. This was the first step for the Town and it was essential. The Town provided free access to Galup (Lake Monger) for performances and filming between 2018-2024, including ranger-support during the month-long performance season in 2021. The Town tried to make the process of booking outdoor spaces as simple as possible, including allowing campfires, smoking ceremonies and other cultural activities. Town staff and elected members attended the project’s performances and presentations and the Town provide 40hrs of in-kind research by their local history librarian from 2020-2021.

The Galup project also brokered relationships between the Town of Cambridge and a group of Whadjuk Noongar Traditional Owners connected to Galup (Lake Monger) which led to those Traditional Owners working on the Galup (Lake Monger) Management Plan. The Traditional Owners’ suggestions were presented to the Town during two meetings organised by Same Drum and two consultations organised by the Town with assistance from Same Drum and an anthropologist. The suggestions included:

restoring the site’s Whadjuk Noongar name;
setting up an Aboriginal ranger program;
setting up an education program;
creating yarning space; and
installing a permanent memorial, artworks and signage that share the history and significance of Galup and acknowledge the 1830 massacre.

Key Outcomes

The Town’s support of the Galup arts project contributed significantly to the project ability to achieve its impact goals and was essential in building relationships between the Whadjuk Noongar Traditional Owners involved and the Town.

The process of developing the Galup (Lake Monger) Draft Management Plan and Masterplan took the Town around 12 months to get right. Incorporating the land care management aspects into the consultation regarding the name restoration made a considerable difference in helping the community understand the significance of that restoration when providing their feedback. By providing historical context and recommended actions for environmental, educational and cultural projects, the community were highly supportive of all proposed actions including name restoration.