This evening, after a meeting at Maroondah Council, Cr. Jo-anne Taylor and I attended a Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation (MMR) meeting.

Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation is one of two local groups that aim to raise awareness about Indigenous communities and culture. Tonight’s meeting included a presentation from the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place to discuss the aims of the organisation.

The Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place is committed to the social, cultural and economic development of the Indigenous community. The Gathering Place operates on a community house based model and provides early childhood, youth, elderly, women’s and men’s programs.

The Gathering Place has recently leased a building at 47 Patterson Street in Ringwood East. In 2004 Wurundjeri Elder, Aunty Joy Murphy-Wandin named the property and its community Djerrnong, which means “many feet walking together”.

The name describes the journey that this community is undertaking to purchase Djerrnong to provide a permanent meeting place for Indigenous communities and to promote cultural understanding and respect.

For further details on the Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place please visit www.mmigp.org.au.