Cowra has its very own Yarning Room thanks to the staff at Wellways.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Located in the Cowra Mall, at the bottom end of Kendal Street, the room was officially opened during a ceremony by Aunty Esther Cutmore on Thursday, August 17, 2023.
The Yarning Room is a place to talk, share, discuss, educate and have a yarn together, a place to build respectful relationships and a space to enrich learning experiences.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been using yarning circles for thousands of years.
The staff at Wellways love the concept and wanted to incorporate this into their relationships with the Cowra community.
Their vision for the room is to be a place that people and services can use to meet with colleagues, other services and community members.
At last weeks opening Wellways regional manager Denise Watmore said she hopes Cowra "embraces" the Yarning Room.
She thanked the Cowra Wellness team for the work they have done to "get this up and running".
"They should be very proud of themselves, I am and I know Wellness is very proud of what you have done," she told the staff.
To book the room contact Tracey Smith or Emma Sargent at Wellways and they will check the availability and arrange pick up of the key before the booking.
Tracey Smith can be contacted at tmareesmith@wellways.org - 0421 936 361.
Emma Sargent can be contacted at esargent@wellways.org - 0479 195 993.
Cowra Wiradjuri Elder Aunty Esther Cutmore gave an official welcome to country at the opening before speaking about the benefits of the yarning room.
"It is a safe and culturally appropriate place for people to meet," Aunty Esther said.
"The Yarning Room can be used for meetings, training sessions or just as a safe place to yarn.
"Wellways wants to promote healthy relationships within our community and having a safe place such as the yarning room to talk and share is really important for our mental health which is what Wellways is all about," Aunty Esther said.
Cowra, Bathurst, Mudgee, Orange and Parkes Wellways program manager Paul Aitcheson described the yarning room as a "place where we can bring the world's together in a safe and respectful area".
"Services and people who want to meet here, please reach out to us.
"There is no fee or charge, it is about community, it's about coming together and being able to deal with life together," he said.
Morning tea for the opening was supplied by Gerald Power of Indigenous Cultural Adventures based in Orange with guests enjoying Gerald's lemon myrtle tea, damper, Anzac biscuits, native fruits, muffins, goat cheese, lemon myrtle and roasted wattle seed and Macadamia biscuits and cakes which are all hand made.