At Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health our offices are located on the country of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of these lands and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We recognise, celebrate and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. We acknowledge their unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land and waters, as we strive for equality and safety in community services and health care.
We employ an Aboriginal Engagement Officer who works with the community and our staff to ensure the best care and support for Aboriginal people in our community.
We also partner with the Sunbury Aboriginal Corporation to provide cultural and health promotion activities and events and support the work of the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative (BDAC).
Resources
If you are looking for support or you are looking to increase your understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples cultures, histories, knowledge and rights, you will find a number of useful resources below:
Reconciliation Action Plan: Reflect
In March 2024 our first Reconciliation Action Plan was endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.
A Reconciliation Action Plan gives organisations a framework from which they can take meaningful steps to support the national reconciliation movement.
As a community health organisation, we see the inequality between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians and strive for equity and equality within all areas of our society including health, education, justice and employment. Through this journey towards reconciliation we are committed to strengthening the relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the Sunbury and Macedon Ranges community for the benefit of all Australians.
The reconciliation process we have embarked on will help us promote a deeper understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and demonstrate the whole organisation’s commitment and responsibility to driving reconciliation.
The Reconciliation Action Plan process started with the establishment of an internal Reconciliation Action Plan working group. Expressions of interests were circulated to staff and the Sunbury Aboriginal Corporation worked with us to identify the most suitable candidates. The group has a membership of 12 passionate staff from across the organisation all of whom are committed to raising the profile of reconciliation. The working party will develop and guide the Reconciliation Action Plan for the organisation and will be responsible for implementing the objectives and the commitments set out in the plan. The working group has engaged in learning and development opportunities including organisational white privilege training. At an organisational level we also welcomed guest speakers from Reconciliation Victoria and the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria to our all-staff training day.
Voice to Parliament Referendum
We strongly supported a First Nations Voice to Parliament and you can read our position statement released ahead of October 2023’s referendum here. Following the results of the referendum, we made a statement which you can read here.
January 26 Public Holiday
We encourage everyone to undertake personal actions that support First Nations communities, and to learn more about the positive steps that are occurring within Victoria, towards Voice, Treaty and Truth Telling. Click here to read more.
Contact Us
If you are an Aboriginal person living in or near Sunbury or the Macedon Ranges call and have a yarn with us about what is happening or what you would like to see happen for Aboriginal people in the community.
Call Abby Smith on 9744 9564 or email abby.smith@scchc.org.au
