For Muliyan Waters, plants are integral to how he sees the world.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“Us being understanding of what’s in those plants, and what we use from those plants for healing and for different things – they were our day-to-day life, and we were just in tune with what that was,” the Wiradjuri countryman said.
However, he now has a chance to share that knowledge – drawn from his art practice and park ranger experience – with the wider Cowra community.
PCYC Cowra have secured just under $47,000 of State Government funding for works at the rear of their Young Road building, which will go towards turning the site into a green space, with gum trees, as well as a BMX track and sports area.
Waters will work with PCYC Cowra to source local plants for a healing garden at the site, which will allow a quiet space for young people who need it, and educate the broader community about the significance of local plant life and how it can be used.
“Being able to bring that into a space and teach that… it’ll be fantastic,” Waters said, adding that the plants are bio-indicators for animal life in the area as well.
“We knew about those, because we were just one little part of that chain, and I think we’ve lost [awareness of where we sit in that chain] a little bit.”
PCYC Cowra’s manager, Stewart Mead, said that the works are just the beginning of what the organisation has planned, with a potential cafe space to be used to provide opportunities for young people to learn hospitality trades.
“It’s a multi-use space that gives us a lot of flexibility to help the kids in town,” Mead said.
He also suggested the eventual spaces will also help local police and the wider township.
“The grant gives us the ability to work with the police, to have a space to be able to run that’s more comfortable for the kids in town,” the manager, who also looks after the site on Binni Creek Road, said.
“It’s going to be great for families to use and it’s just a cooler space, outside, that people of Cowra can use.”
