Members of the local Aboriginal community gathered on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at Koori Beach Narrandera for a Welcome Baby to Country celebration on Wiradjuri land.

Around 20 babies from Narrandera and Leeton aged 0–12 months and their families attended the ceremony. The babies were presented to Elders Aunty Jennifer Johnson and Aunty Joy Ingram, and all babies received a certificate and a gift.

Welcoming a new baby into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is a cultural practice that has been held for thousands of years, to acknowledge an infant’s connections to the traditional lands on which they are born or living and connect the child’s family with other families, Elders and the community.

The event was a collaboration between Gundyarri Aboriginal Corporation and the Murrumbidgee Local Health District’s Aboriginal Maternal Infant Health Service (AMIHS) and Building Strong Foundations (BSF) teams at Narrandera.

Gundyarri Aboriginal Corporation was successful in receiving a Cultural Grant from Aboriginal Affairs to support the event.

Director of Gundyarri Aboriginal Corporation Cherry Johnson said welcoming babies (boori’s) home to their Country is important for mothers, families and the Aboriginal community.

“It’s part of our being, our identity, to bring our babies home to their Country to connect and bond with traditions,” said Ms Johnson.

“The blessing of the river and the land is part of belonging to not only Narrundjera/Leeton Aboriginal Country but also our Wiradjuri Nation.

This article appeared in Narrandera Argus, 6 November 2025.