Kurnai cultural centre should be considered

Bellbird Park is the ideal site for development of a Kurnai Cultural centre, according to the Committee for Drouin’s Jeannie Haughton.

In a presentation to Baw Baw Shire’s recent budget submissions meeting, Ms Haughton asked council to start planning for development of a Kurnai Cultural Centre with an environmental and creative activity and resource centre.

Ms Haughton said currently the Kurnai community had no official home, no ceremonial place and nowhere for cultural displays.

She said Bellbird Park was already a place for recreation and wetlands but it could accommodate a cultural centre.

Ms Haughton said Baw Baw’s first nation’s population, with their connection to this area as traditional owners and custodians, and the contemporary historical connection through Jackson’s Trk and Buln Buln Shire, chose Drouin as the site for a Kurnai Cultural Centre for their home space.

She said the Committee for Drouin also had been calling for an environmental and creative activities and resource place. “The logical alignment of these needs, one complimentary space, with home spaces and cultural and working areas for the Kurnai, Friends of Drouin’s Trees, and artists, immediately creates opportunities for reconciliation and cultural enrichment.

“Sporting facilities continue to be built while purpose built facilities for other users are denied,” she said.

She said an area for the combined centre within Bellbird Park (west) would enhance and encourage implementation of council’s landscape plan for the area.

Friends of Drouin Trees member Judy Farmer also called on council to allocate funds to create the vision for a wetlands in Bellbird Park (west) as outlined in the landscape masterplan.

Ms Farmer said the Bellbird Park landscape plan, prepared by Michael Smith and Associates in 2020, provided direction for use and development of the park into the future.

While the plan covered the area surrounding the new pavilion, she said there were other priorities for future development of the park, not just in the east.

Council’s draft budget includes $40,000 for design of the Bellbird Park wetlands. Ms Farmer said while the allocation was great, how much more planning and design needed to be done when a landscape plan already was in place.

Ms Farmer said the existing landscape plan already identified the importance of preserving the wet areas and islands of the wetlands.

What was now needed, she said, was funds to ensure the designs were implemented. “I hope it’s not just another report.

What is urgently needed is implementation of these things in a staged approach.

“The landscape plan’s vision and recommendations are to focus on enhancing the biodiversity and habitat values of existing bushland areas as well as integrating natural environments and infrastructure,” she said.

Ms Farmer said boardwalks to protect the fragile wetlands, interpretive signage and possibly a visitor centre would enhance the park.

“Bellbird Park is more than sporting fields. It’s an absolutely unique area,” she said.