The
Yula Punaal Way.
Aboriginal Spirituality is all around us!
Spirituality is about breathing life into feeling, touching, listening and seeing the beauty within us all.
It comes to life through our stories, dance, song, art,
language and ceremony.
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It gives life to our people that connect them to Gunimaa, Mother Earth
About Us.
The organisation’s name Yula-Punaal comes from both the Awabakal and Gamilaraay language. Yula is rain” in Gamilaraay and Punaal is the “sun”in Awabakal. Our organisation is run by local Aboriginal people, with a vision to preserve and share our rich culture and heritage with the surrounding communities.
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Yula-Punaal Education & Healing Aboriginal Corporation’s cultural values are a living blueprint in the concept of circles to reflect Aboriginal Ways of doing, learning and knowing. It encompasses our Aboriginal core values that are immersed in deep sacred spirituality, culture and heritage. Our circle framework tells us of our strong formation as this assists us in the development of supporting our families and communities.
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Situated at the foot of the Wattagan Mountains and on Awabakal country, we as individuals, an organisation and Aboriginal people living, working, playing and learning on Country, honour our Ancestors and those who walked this land, we up hold our commitment and cultural integrity to the preservation and maintenance of our rich cultural connections to the land and waterways for spiritual, cultural, language and ceremonial and ritual purposes and heritage.
Key Milestones and Projects.
Land Acquisition application in 1996 through the Indigenous Land Incorporation. This was fulfilled in 2003 with the purchase of the Kywong property.
In 1998 the Aboriginal Women’s Post-release Program was a concept, developed and implemented by Tammy Wright and funded by the Department for Women for 12 months. After the project funds expired Yula-Punaal advocated and secured re-current funding from the Corrective Service of NSW Community Grants Program. The project was funded for over 14 years and was the only program of it’s type within NSW and Australia, in receiving several social justice awards and accolades.
In 1996 Louise Campbell and Tammy Wright undertook a Cultural immersion to Canada’s Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge on the Nekaneet Reservation, Maple Creek Saskatchewan which is an alternate correctional facility for first nation women that integrates cultural practices with the foundations of the facility. Tammy and Louise underwent their 21-day program as an inmate in the facility to gain the knowledge and experience to develop a similar model in Australia.
Between 1997 to 2010 Yula-Punaal had been involved in numerous State and National Reports, Consultative Committees and Keynote presentation at conferences on the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody’s recommendations reports and summits, Aboriginal women in Custody, Domestic Violence conferences and forums.
In 2008 Yula-Punaal was presented with a ‘Changed of its Focus’. Preliminary discussions were had when Louise Campbell and Tammy Wright were approached by the Maitland Newcastle Dioceses Catholic Schools Office and an initiative was and underway in conjunction with Newcastle Catholic Schools Trade Training Consortium to establish a Trade Training Centre concept within the Dioceses whereby Yula-Punaal was the foundations of application. This at the time was fantastic opportunity for the organisation and the community, which included the infrastructure of a classroom and work shed.
From the Trade Training concept, Yula-Punaal implemented a Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management and other Caring for Country projects including bushtuckers programs.
In June 2012, Yula-Punaal were successful, through the pioneering efforts of the late Sister Patricia Adams from the Mercy Sisters order, who had been one of our biggest advocators in securing the funding to build an office and community gathering place. Due to numerous bureaucratic red-tape from local government, the project came to a standstill in 2018.
In 2024, through Aboriginal Affairs NSW Community Infrastructure Grant, the building is on its way to be completed.
On the 5th November 2014, the divestment ceremony by the Indigenous Land Corporation was held with over 150 people attending. Member of Parliament, the Honourable Pat Conroy officially opened the Centre which was on the same day as the Memorial Service of former Prime Minister Edward Gough Whitlam.
Over the years, the organisation had acquired a number of small grants with the Environmental trust towards the native arboretum, engaged with Local Landcare groups who have planted and rejuvenated the billabong, planting and growing various bushtucker plants including finger limes, lemon myrtle and native herbs.
Over the course of 20 years, numerous other programs were carried out to allow our other clientele and community, including our young people, women, and elders to be a part of our many and varied programs.
Some of the other projects that we offered included, elder guidance programs, youth support programs for inmate children and families, women’s spirituality and healing programs, professional training for our staff and community and general support.