At its recent General Committee Meeting in Nhulunbuy, LGANT accepted an invitation from the Marngarr Community Government to visit their community.
Located 15 kilometres from the mining town of Nhulunbuy, Marngarr, a community of 400 people boasts two Australians of the year, Galarrwuy and Mandiwuy Yunupingu. As well as dancing and singing by community members, delegates were also entertained by Mandiwuy Yunupingu, lead singer from the rock band, Yothu Yindi.
As MC for the evening, Mandiwuy outlined the history of the Marngarr Community. Home of the Gumatj People, he said that the community was established in the late 70s.
“We have a history of development in a positive sense,” Mandiwuy Yunupingu said. “Here we can exercise and practise the heritage our fathers, brothers and sisters taught us. We have established this place, whether driven by social, political or spiritual aspirations, to now be able to say ‘I am proud to come from here’.”
“Reaching out to other people is very important. Destiny lies in what we practice. This establishment has a sense of direction – one we can share, living in unity, living together as one.” President of LGANT, Peter Kavanagh, thanked the Marngarr Community for inviting delegates to their land.
“It has been a remarkable and unique experience,” he said. “It is a great feeling of reconciliation and with important issues to be raised at tomorrow’s meeting, this has been a great lead in.”
