Goranwarrabul House in Seymour were presented with an outside fire place, which will provide a space for ceremonies and events.
BARPA Construction Services installed the firepit to contribute to the houses’ culture and facilities.
Goranwarrabul House offers culturally appropriate information and resources, health and wellbeing workshops, training, and information sessions to educate and improve health, barriers and outcomes.
Men groups, women groups, food banks and small projects each operate to improve the community.
Aboriginal health and wellbeing leader Brenda Newman said the women’s group had sat around the firepit, enjoying each other’s company.
“They were just around the fireplace, having a chat and loved it,” she said.
Ms Newman said she was honoured to watch BARPA invest their time and efforts in the fire place, offering a space for future smoking ceremonies and events to different groups.
“It reinstalls your faith in mankind when there’s people out there that volunteer their time to help out a not-for-profit organisation,” she said.
Ms Newman said smoking ceremonies were culturally significant in the Aboriginal culture as it allowed community members to form connections and build rapport with the land and the people around them.
“It’s connection, you know, Aboriginal people find a lot of connection around a yarning circle around a firepit,” she said.
“[It’s] nice to have an outside area to have functions whereas before everything was inside.”
BARPA is an Indigenous company that encourages their employees to undertake volunteer work with community and charities organisations.
Ms Newman saw how important it was for the volunteers to install the firepit.
“They’ve got Indigenous employees who understand how important it is for our mob to have a firepit,” she said.
Goranwarrabul House welcomes the public to a firepit opening and morning tea at 10am on Friday, at the corner of Callen and Bretonneux Streets, Seymour.
