Joanna Tucker, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Yorke Peninsula’s premier national park will be hosting an open day for the Narungga community and other visitors to learn about co-management as part of Reconciliation Week.

The Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park co-management board is hosting the event at the Stenhouse Bay Hall this Saturday, June 1.

The board has invited the Narungga community, park neighbours and other visitors to learn about co-management and the board’s achievements, as well as to enjoy Narungga stalls and a free lunch.

Narungga Nation Aboriginal Corporation director Jay Milera is hosting a stall.

“It’s an important collaboration and it highlights reconciliation and what reconciliation is about,” Ms Milera says.

“Not only that, but to connect with the Narungga community as well.

“I think that’s really important.”

Ms Milera said she would be selling a variety of paintings, including some made with abalone shells as well as Aboriginal designed products, jewellery, and metaphysical items such as sage.

“I really enjoy using natural materials from Narungga,” she said.

“The abalone shells are a way for me to express my creative passion in connecting to a traditional source of food and a cultural significance for the Narungga community.”

Ms Milera has been practising art for more than 15 years, runs her business Kurdanyi Auaha and works on major community projects across Yorke Peninsula and in Adelaide.

“As an artist, I’m constantly searching for the best way to interpret my ideas and my soul in relation to my artwork,” she said.

“I have got more into mixed media like sculptures and public art, so I’m in that direction right now.

“Each piece of my art I create is an extension of my culture, reflecting on my past and where I come from, what I’ve learned on my journey, as well as a preview of my future as an artist.

“It also expresses a deep affection of my culture and spiritual connection with my community and ancestors and Elders.

“And it’s lived experiences and stories that I’ve learned on my journey from my Elders, sitting down and having those shared stories including Dreaming stories.”

Ms Milera said her artistic journey has allowed her to develop her own cultural practice to teach and mentor the wider community through her work as a lead artist with Carclew.

“I continue to work and connect with the younger generation as that’s what it’s about.

“It’s about connecting them to their cultural identity, who they are and where they come from.

“When they grow up, they will have that cultural connection and identity to hand down to their children and grandchildren.  

See all the pictures in the issue.

This article appeared in  Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 28 May 2024.