Yallarwah Place restoration
Connection to Country at Yallarwah Place
Community Participation - LEP028-002
The issue
Yallarwah is an Awabakal word meaning ‘resting place’. It is a place of healing and rest for people and also for the land which we share. Yallarwah Place (or Uncle Bob’s Place- named for Aboriginal Elder, the late Robert Smith) was launched in February 1999 to serve First Nations/ Aboriginal people and families across NSW undergoing medical treatment at the John Hunter Hospital to feel welcome, supported and cared for during their stay in hospital.
Yallarwah Place also encompasses a Bicentenary Memorial Walk and Circle of Reflection within a beautiful Lowland Apple Bloodwood forest setting. Yallarwah was made possible through the vision of author Paul F. Walsh who created the Novocastrian Tales project for the Newcastle-Hunter Bicentenary 1797-1997.
This bushland provides connection to Country for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, their families staying at Yallarwah. It also provides a peaceful place with mental health benefits for staff and visitors to the John Hunter Hospital.
Over the past years Yallarwah has suffered itself and not been cared for as it could and should have been.
The solution
In 2024, Hunter New England Local Health District incorporated the next phase of site restoration into their NAIDOC Week activities with ceremony, dance, song, a BBQ and a working bee on 31st July. Hunter Region Landcare Network staff were invited to guide the restoration works and share their bush regeneration expertise with a team of District staff and Newcastle Permanent volunteers.
The impact
Hunter Region Landcare Network jumped at the opportunity to be involved in helping regenerate bushland at Yallarwah Place, Awabakal Country, as part of Yallarwah’s 25th anniversary celebrations.
Healthcare staff came down during their work breaks to plant native trees and along with corporate volunteers from NGM group. Tools and trees were sourced by Landcare thanks to a grant from the Newcastle State Member’s Local Small Commitments Allocation Program. HRLN committee member Wendy Heys, who had been present at the opening ceremony, was able to share her memories of the occasion with the new volunteers.
The restoration of Yallarwah Place and the Bicentenary Memorial Walk has created a significant partnership between John Hunter Hospital staff, HRLN and NGM group. Since the celebrations in 2024, another two working bees have conducted with additional help with erosion management from Fulton Hogan. Plans to continue regular working bees over the coming months, involve Awabakal LALC and establish a local landcare group are underway.
Key facts
- The partnership with Hunter New England Health, corporate group NGM, Awabakal LALC and Landcare is blossoming at Yallarwah place.