LETTER: Honouring Amber and Jarrad Galvin’s commitment to Gloucester’s First Peoples

FOR siblings Amber and Jarrad Galvin, supporting Gloucester’s Indigenous community is about more than volunteering. It is about family, connection to Country, culture and a genuine commitment to the community they call home.

There are people in every small community who quietly give an extraordinary amount of their time to making things happen.

Amber and Jarrad Galvin are two such people, dedicating countless volunteer hours each week to supporting Gloucester’s Aboriginal community and helping ensure that culture, knowledge and connections are passed on to future generations.

Their commitment to Gloucester is reflected not only in their everyday lives, but in the considerable time and energy they give to the work of the Gloucester Worimi First Peoples Aboriginal Corporation.

Their contribution spans cultural activities, community events, education, language revitalisation and creating opportunities for local Aboriginal people to connect with their heritage.

One of the important initiatives has been the revitalisation of Gathang, the language of the Worimi, Biripi and Gringai people.

Working alongside language knowledge holders, the project has created opportunities for members of Gloucester’s Aboriginal community to reconnect with language, learn from one another and build knowledge that can be shared with younger generations.

The work has included regular language workshops, youth learning opportunities and the development of resources such as the impressive Gathang Ngarraliyn mural.

The mural, meaning ‘Learning Gathang’, was a collaborative effort involving local community members, including Amber, Jarrad and their children.

Amber has played an important role in bringing traditional weaving activities to Gloucester.

She has helped bring together local women, including respected Biripi women Aunty Pam Saunders and Joedie Lawler, to share traditional weaving skills.

What began as workshops developed into a collaborative artwork representing the families, landscape and connections of the region.

The work was later displayed at Gloucester Art Gallery.

That commitment to passing on cultural knowledge continues through weaving workshops with Indigenous students at Gloucester High School, giving younger people the opportunity to develop practical skills while strengthening their connection to culture.

The siblings’ involvement also extends to the wider community, with NAIDOC celebrations providing an opportunity for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal residents to come together.

The annual family fun day has become an important local event, bringing people together through cultural activities, traditional games, bush tucker, entertainment and opportunities to learn.

While some of these initiatives are visible to the wider community, much of the work happens quietly and behind the scenes.

Organising activities, bringing people together, maintaining connections, sharing knowledge and making sure opportunities are available to the next generation all take considerable time and commitment.

For Amber and Jarrad, this is not simply something they do occasionally.

The countless hours they volunteer each week are an ongoing contribution to a community they have strong personal and family ties to. Their efforts are helping create opportunities for local Aboriginal people to celebrate their identity, strengthen cultural connections and ensure that knowledge is not lost but continues to grow.

In a town like Gloucester, where community connections run deep, that kind of commitment matters. Amber and Jarrad’s contribution is a reminder that preserving culture and strengthening community does not happen by itself.

It takes people willing to give their time, share their knowledge and work consistently towards something bigger than themselves.

They are present in the community, they choose to live here, on Country, and they choose to pour their effort into making a difference.

Their dedication deserves to be recognised, not just for what they have helped achieve, but for the many hours of work, often unseen, that make it possible.

Regards,

Author’s name withheld by request,

Gloucester.