South West Aboriginal Women's Collective

20/12/2025

☀️☀️ join the team this bunuru season out on boodja

essential info:
- open to young women aged 15yrs - 30yrs in the south west region
- young women can bring their children and female relatives if they wish (we just need numbers beforehand)
- activities include painting, strolls in the bush, relaxing, yarning & learning together
- young women from all cultural backgrounds are welcome to attend
- this is a free event - just bring yourself, spare clothes and any medications you need
- no drugs or alcohol during camp
- transport available
- food and accommodation provided

spots are filling fast so DM or email use
if you've already spoken with us about the camp- don't stress we've secured your spot ☀️☀️

17/12/2025

We are so incredibly proud of our SWAWC sisters Binder & Gentle-Hall along with many of our women who continue to represent the South West on national and global stages — attending summits, conferences and gatherings that centre First Nations women’s voices, leadership and lived experience.

Through these opportunities, our members are not only sharing their own stories, but carrying the collective strength, wisdom and advocacy of our region with them. It’s powerful to see South West Aboriginal women contributing to conversations about justice, peacebuilding and systems change — and bringing those learnings back home to community.
We are excited and deeply honoured to share this film documenting the Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute’s Peacebuilding Camp, beautifully captured by Big hART.

Held on Bunuba Country in July 2025, the camp brought together First Nations and non-First Nations women and girls from across the continent to explore what peacebuilding looks and feels like when guided by matriarchal strength, intergenerational wisdom, deep listening and care. From this space, new ways of healing, organising and re-imagining systems emerged — tools for our collective medicine bag and more peaceful, just and thriving futures.

Country holds us. Relationships guide us. Care sustains us. Transformation begins with us.

To find out more and get involved with the Wiyi Yani U Thangani Institute, sign up to their newsletter:
👉 https://www.wiyiyaniuthangani.com.au/

To learn more about Big hART and their work:
👉 https://www.bighart.org/

Filmed on Bunuba Country, 2025
Videography & Editing: Anna Cadden

Always proud. Always connected. Always lifting one another up.

16/12/2025

Please share with our community... make sure you register to secure your spot. ❤️💚🤍

🎄 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 @ 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 🎄
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓 💛

We’re so grateful to have received funding from Albemarle to host a Christmas Day lunch for our community.

We’re inviting our community to a relaxed Christmas Day lunch focused on connection, kindness and sharing good food together.

This is a smaller, registered event (no walk-ins).
Registrations are now full, and we’re really grateful for the beautiful response from our community.

📅 Thurs 25 Dec | 11am–2pm (lunch from 12pm)
📍 Milligan, 35 Milligan St, Bunbury

Thank you to everyone who registered — we can’t wait to share the day with you 🎄💛

02/12/2025

FIRST NATIONS HOUSE - PERTH SUMMIT 2025

Connection to Country: Indigenous Leaders and Entrepreneurs Building the Future

Boorloo (Perth)

If you are in Boorloo next week, come join our Chair Michelle Woosnam at the First Nations Women's Gathering.

UPLIFTING INDIGENOUS FEMALE LEADERS

Date: 10 December 2025
Time: 1pm to 4pm

Address: Level 8 - 235 St Georges Terrace, Perth

You are warmly invited to join us at First Nations House 2025, a powerful gathering spotlighting Indigenous innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship – all grounded in connection to Country and driven by forward-thinking vision.

This year’s program brings together a select group of Indigenous leaders, entrepreneurs, and cultural thinkers to share insights, practices, and pathways shaping our collective future.

https://firstnationshouse.com/perth-summit-2025

30/11/2025

🎨 Art Therapy Group on this Thursday!— Creativity for the Soul

Feeling like you need a little “me time”? 💕
Our Art Therapy Group for Carers is a gentle space to unwind, get creative, and connect with others who understand.

No art experience needed — just come along for a cuppa and good company. 🎨☕

29/11/2025

🌾✨ FACEBOOK POST – Back to Boodja Success ✨🌾

Bunbury PCYC
CSHS
Boola Bidi Dreaming
Stars Foundation Moore Senior High School

Our hearts are so full after an incredibly powerful week of Courtney Ugle’s Back to Boodja Program across our South West communities. 💛🔥

Courtney delivered keynotes and workshops to schools and community groups in Bunbury, Collie and Harvey, sharing her lived experience, courage, culture and truth-telling in a way that connected deeply with everyone in the room.

From our young people to our Elders, every session created moments of reflection, healing and hope. Her storytelling brought forward conversations about resilience, safe relationships, leadership and empowerment — grounded in Noongar culture and lived experience.

We are so proud to stand alongside Courtney as she continues to inspire change through her Waangkiny (speaking) and her unstoppable commitment to community.

To all the students, staff, families, supporters and local community members who attended — thank you. Your openness, your questions and your courage made this week truly special.

Back to Boodja continues to create a ripple effect of strength, healing and empowerment across our region. ✨

Boorda. Until next time. 🤎🖤❤️

Thanks to amazing supporters for getting behind the much needed Back to Boodja Program - Christina @ South West Women's Health and Information Centre Kristy @ Investing In Our Youth Tom Busher Alcoa, Jodie Hanns MLA, Clare Bunbury PCYC Lesley Ugle Boola Bidi Dreaming Heidi & Lorelei Stars Foundation

23/11/2025

✨ This week across the South West ✨

BACK TO BOODJA with Courtney Ugle

Our communities in Bunbury, Collie and Harvey are lucky to be hosting Courtney Ugle as she delivers her powerful Back to Boodja – Safe Relationships sessions, cultural connection activities, and Keynote presentations.

24th November - PCYC Bunbury
25th November - Collie SHS, Wilson Park Primary School & Stars Foundation at NMSH
26th November - Harvey Aboriginal Corporation - 16 Days in WA gathering.

Courtney continues to inspire with her truth-telling, strength, and message of respectful relationships.

A huge thank you to all our partners and host schools for supporting this important work. We are proud to stand alongside Courtney as she brings healing, hope and empowerment to our young people and families. 💛🖤❤️

23/11/2025

🌿 CELEBRATING OUR SOUTH WEST WOMEN AT WIPCE 2025 🌿

The South West Aboriginal Women’s Collective is so proud to celebrate two incredible local women — Charmaine Collard and Karen Auguston — who will be returning soon after recently attending the Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE).

For both women, this was the trip of a lifetime — a powerful opportunity to stand on the world stage, learn from global Indigenous leaders, and represent our South West communities with strength, courage, and cultural pride.

What makes their journey even more remarkable is the barriers they’ve had to overcome:
• Years of advocating in spaces where our Aboriginal women’s voices are not always heard
• Navigating systems that often overlook our community educators
• Limited access to funded opportunities and pathways
• Holding family, community and work responsibilities while still finding a way to show up

Yet, despite all of this, they stood strong, they showed up, and they made us proud. ❤️

Their experience at WIPCE will have a ripple effect across the South West — influencing:
✨ Local classrooms and educational programs
✨ Community leadership and cultural strengthening
✨ Future pathways for our young people
✨ Other Aboriginal educators who have dreamed of opportunities like this

We look forward to Charmaine and Karen returning home and can't wait to be inspired, connected, and ready to share their new knowledge across Noongar boodja. Their leadership is a reminder of what happens when our women are supported to step into global spaces — our whole community rises.

Please join us in congratulating these deadly women for representing our region with grace, determination, and deep cultural strength.

We see you. We are proud of you. You carry us all. 💛🖤❤️

— South West Aboriginal Women’s Collective

19/11/2025

Look at this deadly mob! Home and Away quality...check out their video and make sure put a vote in for them!

18/11/2025

🧡 16 Days of Activism Across the South West 🧡
Ending Gender-Based Violence: Community, Collaboration, Change

We are proud to stand alongside our community partners Harbour Refuge and Support Services and Milligan. as we take part in the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, running from 25 November to 10 December.

Join us for a early morning from 9am-10am to recognise those agencies who work on the frontline and those who have lost their lives or been impacted.

📍 Location:
Milligan, Bunbury (Wardandi Boodja)
🤝 In collaboration with: Harbour Community Services & Milligan

This is a call to action for ALL of us—families, organisations, leaders, youth, and allies—to get involved. Change starts here, and it starts with us.

15/11/2025

Thanks to Lisa Blankenaar for making us aware of this amazing project....sisters do you thang💟

Our hearts are warming at the thought of all the wonderful donations being taken to Bunnings stores this weekend 🩷

A friendly reminder to check our shopping list to make sure you have all the essentials, and no prohibited items! 🙏

P.S. Text to small on the image? Download it here - https://www.sharethedignity.org.au/itsinthebag

13/11/2025

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our sisters who came together to support one of our own during this heartbreaking time.

Because of your generosity, over $800 was raised for the funeral fundraiser. 💛

The SWAWC Sisters are deeply grateful to be part of such a strong and loving community. Every contribution — big or small — made a difference. From the beautiful items donated, to the sisters who couldn’t drop anything off but sent cash so we could purchase products for the hamper… your kindness has wrapped this family in so much love.

To all of the deadly women who collaborated across our groups, who showed up, donated, organised, and stood together — thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your support is felt and appreciated more than words can say.

This is who we are when we stand in community. 💛🖤❤️

💌SWAWC Planning Committee
💌 Djidi Djidi Aboriginal School
💌 Milligan.
💌 B2R property clean up
💌
💌 Gnaala Karla Booja Aboriginal Corporation and
💌 .beardman celebrant