National Science Week took on a distinctly regional character at ERTHWRX25, a three day program where traditional and western science converged with art, culture and

community in the Central West. Farmers, First Nations knowledge holders, researchers and artists shared perspectives, connecting global ecological questions to the lived

realities of regional Australia.

Curated by The Corridor Project’s creative producer Phoebe Cowdery, the event marked a decade of science and cultural programming in the Central West. More than 200 people travelled from across NSW including Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, Dubbo, Orange, Cowra and Canowindra to take part.

Highlights included a screening of Her Name is Nanny Nellie at Club Cowra, followed by a Q&A with narrator Irene Ridgeway and director/writer Daniel King, moderated by Phoebe Cowdery. In the field, Dougie Sutherland guided audiences through Wiradjuri night sky stories, guided with vast familial cultural knowledge. Panel discussions, chaired by former Inspiring Australia NSW state manager Jacqueline Randles, spanned biodiversity conservation, regenerative farming, soil health, mycology, museum collections, water sustainability, bioenergy and the links between human and animal health. The final day closed with a creative workshop led by artists Genevieve Carroll and Bill Moseley, who channelled the spirit of 1960s pop artist Claes Oldenburg to explore endangered bird species of the Central West through drawing, wet collodion

photography and performance.

For regional communities, Phoebe Cowdery says, events like ERTHWRX aren’t just cultural enrichment - they’re essential. “We want to ensure rural communities are part of

the national conversation around science and the environment,” she says. “Working alongside our community is critical. The ideas, stories and knowledge shared throughout

the event develops community social cohesion and defines the future narrative of the program.”

The event’s timing was poignant. With job cuts affecting scientific and research roles at WaterNSW and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, ERTHWRX underlined the

importance of keeping science, both traditional and western, embedded in community life.

Looking ahead, The Corridor Project is already planning ERTHWRX26 and is calling for fresh ideas and collaborators. “Over the past decade we’ve seen increasing appetite for

deeper engagement,” Cowdery says. “People want to contribute, to share, to shape solutions that affect their environment and habitat.”

The program was delivered with support from Inspiring Australia NSW, the Australian Government’s National Science Week, The Corridor Project, Club Cowra, Orange Cowra

Cabonne Science Hub, Cowra Micro Gallery, Artists of East Cowra and Lachlan Valley Music.