National Reconciliation Week: Be Brave. Make Change.

The National Trust acknowledges that its properties are situated on Aboriginal land across the state and recognises Aboriginal people remain the cultural and spiritual custodians of their land and continue to practise their values, languages, beliefs and knowledge.

We are committed to working with Aboriginal people to ensure these practices are recognised and included in the conservation and interpretation of our places, and Aboriginal people are consulted and involved in the development of projects and programs.

Be Brave. Make Change

This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme asks us all to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.

The National Trust of Western Australia’s reconciliation journey started in 2011 with a Statement of Commitment and our first Reconciliation Action Plan.

From these beginnings, we have made great efforts to increase Aboriginal involvement in how the National Trust cares for its heritage sites, leading to a number of fantastic projects, including the ‘Aboriginal Engagement and Consultation framework for Noongar Boodja’. This framework has enabled us to develop a holistic approach to working with Aboriginal communities when we undertake activities at our places.

The path ahead

This year we have been assessing how we can strengthen our reconciliation journey and deepen our relationships with Traditional Custodians around the state with our 2022–23 Reconciliation Action Plan.

Thanks to funding from Lotterywest the National Trust will be developing a cultural landscape management approach and improving visitor interpretation at four key heritage places:

• Strawberry Hill at Barmup, on Menang Country
• Peninsula Farm at Wu-rut Woorat, on Whadjuk Country
• Wonnerup House at Wonnerup, on Wadandi Country
• Central Greenough on Yamatji Country.

An integral part of this work is consultation with Traditional Custodians to ensure their input into future conservation and interpretation so that our places and collections can continue to tell the stories of our state’s shared history.

We look forward to sharing updates as these exciting projects progress.