"Tanderrum in Trentham"

A recent welcome visitor to our historical site was David Kerrigan from Hurstbridge Historical Society.

"Wominjeka fellow travellers, welcome again to First Nations Foundation (FNF) and thank you for traveling with me on the road to treaty and reconciliation as we explore a tiny fraction of the histories and lore of the world’s longest existing continuous cultures, that of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders.

Last weekend the road took us to Trentham. This historical gold mining, forestry and potato growing town recently won the gold award for top tiny town (less than 1500 people) in the national tourism awards. The award was well deserved as Trentham and its town people were welcoming and engaging and maintained that old world charm and courtesy that sadly larger towns lose in the pursuit of progress. I constantly find myself wondering on whose country I am on, or on whose land am I traversing through.

Trentham as it happens is on DjaDja Wurrung country. One of the five groups that make up the Kulin nation, the ‘Djandak’, are the traditional custodians of central Victoria, living on the land that now encompasses the areas around Bendigo, Daylesford and Kyneton. Like all First Nation peoples, their population was decimated after colonial contact and a few dozen of the remaining clan were removed to a reserve at Loddon River, near Bendigo in the 1850s, before being resettled once more to Coranderrk with our own Wurundjeri clan.

Thankfully the culture and heritage of the DjaDja Wurrung survive in the area and they were the first traditional owner group to begin the process of negotiating a local treaty with the Victorian government in 2013.

During the thousands of years prior to European arrival, the Kulin nation which includes the DjaDja Wurrung would have held a ‘Tanderrum’ or ceremony of welcome which would have included feasting, singing, dancing and coming together to grant safe passage and access to resources to the visitor. The spirit of the Djandak - DjaDja Wurrung is in the very soil of Trentham, I felt it. The vibe. Like Hurstbridge, people actually said hello to you in the street.

I thank them for my safe passage and their welcome to this beautiful town with its layered history and hospitable people.

Til next week Triganin – see you soon."

Written by David Kerrigan, Allwood archivist

FNF curated by Keira de Hoog, Community Development officer, Allwood

Thank you to Sue Worthington from the Trentham & District Historical Society for contributing this piece.