Murrin Bridge, a small Indigenous community in Central NSW is celebrating a major milestone.
The Marrambidya Dance Group performing at the Murrin Bridge Community Preschool opening celebration. Photo: NSW Aboriginal Land Council, Harriette Poiner.
After five years of planning and development, the Murrin Bridge Preschool Community Hub has opened its doors, heralding a new era for the town.
The project is a collaboration between The Murrin Bridge Local Aboriginal Land Council (MBLALC), The Murrin Bridge Preschool Association, The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Multiplex Construction.
Murrin Bridge LALC CEO Judy Bartholomew says the Murrin Bridge Preschool Community Hub is more than just a construction project, it's a symbol of unity and community progress.
“The community’s been heavily involved from day one in the planning of this, and that means it really belongs to the Murrin Bridge community and is designed to meet our needs.”
The hub will serve as a central site where residents can access a wide range of services, participate in cultural activities, and serve as a space for community gatherings, including funerals.
It's also a 'one-stop-shop' for the community, providing space for vital services such as health services, Centrelink, family, youth, housing, and employment services – all under one roof.
Preschool students crafted scale models of their ideal classrooms as part of the co-design process. Photo: Campbell Drake.
It may be a multifaceted project, but Bartholomew says it has a simple goal: to improve the lives of residents.
“The emphasis is on enhancing cultural strengths, improving access to essential services, and ultimately, boosting education, employment, and community health and wellbeing.”
Despite only just reaching completion, the hub has already contributed to positive employment outcomes through a partnership with TAFE NSW.
Through the scheme, 12 Indigenous trainees obtained their Certificate 2 in construction as part of the build.
This hands-on experience not only developed their skills and qualifications but led to several participants securing further employment in the construction sector.
Celebrating the opening with a smoking ceremony. Photo: NSW Aboriginal Land Council, Harriette Poiner.
Director of the Murrin Bridge Preschool, Leanne Smith says one of the benefits will be that the preschool will be able to accommodate more children.
“We started with 25 places, but with the new site we’ll be able to have 57 children a day.”
Smith says she’s also excited about the potential of the new site to facilitate the transfer of traditional knowledge from Elders to children via its unique model combining early education with the community hub.
“For example, women Elders will be able to bring their weaving and painting work and the kids will be able to engage with them and learn those old ways and traditions that are at risk of being lost.”
The project had an unlikely beginning when Dr Allan Teale, then a UTS PhD candidate, discovered his Indigenous heritage when he was 40 years old.
Dr Teale traced his ancestry back to Murrin Bridge and made connections with the local community.
“My background is in property development, and I wanted to find a way to use my skills to help bring about meaningful change for the community,” says Dr Teale.
UTS was provided seed funding by a Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet grant to develop architectural schematics.
The design of the facility was established by UTS School of Architecture Senior Lecturer Urtzi Grau and former UTS Lecturer Guillermo Fernandez-Abascal and developed by architect and UTS Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture, Dr Campbell Drake through a series of community workshops and was documented with the assistance of architect Andrew Daly of Supercontext.
"The purpose of the workshops was to embed the knowledge, opinions, ideas and aspirations of community members into the design process, so that it was truly community-led” says Dr Drake.
Residents, service providers, and even the youngest members of the community played pivotal roles in shaping the design.
"We had a wonderful workshop involving preschool students, who, inspired by a picture book titled the Emu Egg, crafted scale models of their ideal classrooms.
“These young voices played an important role in creating a space that embraces their needs and aspirations,” says Dr Drake.
“The purpose of the workshops was to embed the knowledge, opinions, ideas and aspirations of community members into the design process, so that it was truly community-led
Senior Lecturer Dr Campbell Drake
Another workshop centred on a scale model of the proposed hub, where community members and service providers voiced their needs, concerns, and requirements for the hub's future operations.
The Murrin Bridge community contributed to the design via a series of workshops. Photo: Campbell Drake.
Dr Teale, whose role within the project was as an Indigenous academic lead and advisor says the Murrin Bridge Preschool Community Hub demonstrates a culturally responsive sensitivity that is often lacking in facilities for Indigenous communities.
“It was really important to ensure the design created a safe and appropriate setting for the Aboriginal community, and that’s only possible if you deeply engage with the cultural needs.”
The outdoor space includes three educational landscape zones, the design of which was guided by local Aboriginal Elders in collaboration with UTS Landscape Architecture lecturer Saskia Schutt.
“There’s an edible woodland featuring mixed small trees and shrubs like quandong and wattles, a craft zone and a medicinal, ceremonial, and spiritual zone comprising mixed small-medium trees and shrubs like Native Apricot, Wilga, and Emu Bush,” says Teale.
“It was really important to ensure the design created a safe and appropriate setting for the Aboriginal community, and that’s only possible if you deeply engage with the cultural needs.
Dr Allan Teale
Smith say the Murrin Bridge Community Preschool Hub is a great blueprint for how partnerships between community, university, government, and the private sector can deliver positive outcomes when done right.
Project Architect, Dr Campbell Drake and Murrin Bridge LALC CEO, Judy Bartholomew at the Murrin Bridge Community Preschool Hub launch. Photo: NSW Aboriginal Land Council, Harriette Poiner.
“This wouldn’t have happened without the expertise and hard work from Campbell and Allan at UTS, but just as important was the input from the community.”
“There was a lot of listening and working together to figure out everything that was required for it to best serve the community.
“Like we needed to have a circle for yarning and being on Country and a central meeting place,” says Smith.
“Now it’s finished, the Murrin Bridge community is really proud and excited, and that’s because they've all had a hand in making it.”
The Murrin Bridge Preschool Community Hub project has received essential support from the following funders:
• National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIIA)
• NSW Department of Education
• Multiplex Construction
• NSW Aboriginal Affairs
• Bluescope Steel