Warra Warra Legal Service

Warra Warra Legal Service is a free community legal service assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander survivors of domestic and family violence and sexual assault in the Far West of NSW, based in Broken Hill. Warra Warra Legal Service is an Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Legal Service (AFVPLS). Knowmore Legal Service is a free legal service that can advise you about engaging with the Royal Commission, and issues such as witness protection and confidentiality agreements. Knowmore is an independent service and is completely separate from the Royal Commission and the government. Both services also provide victim support services.

In four remote Aboriginal communities of Far West New South Wales the ‘Speaking & Healing Project’ has been run with an enthusiastic response. Warra Warra Legal Service, in collaboration with Knowmore Legal Service, led four projects focusing on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The projects facilitated by Aboriginal workers engaged Aboriginal people and workers by creating a safe space to yarn, be heard and heal together.
In Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Menindee and Dareton legal advice was provided about engaging with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The second part of the project was importantly focused on Healing led by Warra Warra’s manager Donna Kennedy. Participants were also given a healing show bag on attending, this included: a Speaking and Healing hat and mug that are suitable for getting outside with, self-care goodies and information and a children’s book to take home and share with family.

Each of the communities welcomed the presence of both legal organisations. Community members, Elders and service providers attended the days. In Broken Hill community discussed setting up a Healing Committee to facilitate local healing initiatives’. In Wilcannia Elders expressed that despite being one of the most studied Aboriginal communities in Australia there is still a great disadvantage experienced by their people and that cultural healing is necessary. In both Wilcannia and Menindee Elders invited non-Aboriginal workers and community members into the forum.

Warra Warra’s community development officer Anthony Hayward spoke of his most notable moments in Menindee and Dareton: “ I enjoyed listening to community and was impressed by how open and honest they were. Through the creation of a safe space community were able to talk of such horrific things that had happened in their lives. In Dareton people were really honest and spoke a lot.” Dareton, an Aboriginal community that suffers almost permanent grief from death caused by suicide has newly been added to Warra Warra’s outreach area. Warra Warra has, through these projects, opened a door to healing that can no longer be closed.

The projects, despite dealing with the heavy topic of child sexual abuse, brought new hope to communities who are desperate for positive change. The projects were a space for people to not only share their hard stories, but also to reconnect and share positive stories of family and loved ones and aspirations for the future even in the current climate. Community were asked to think about what healing meant for them and what was needed for real tangible positive change. The day was broken up with activities about looking after one self and having pride in the positive contribution to community that they as individuals make.

Manager of Warra Warra Legal Service Donna Kennedy has always had a passion and drive for healing for the Aboriginal people of the Far West NSW even more so after commencing work in an Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Legal Unit. “I know our mob don’t always like using counsellors because they’re worried, have fear and shame”, she says, “and when an opportunity came around with our NFVPLUs to do a project on the Royal Commission I took that opportunity to talk about healing in a culturally safe way. “The people that use our service can have so many problems and seem to be going in circles and can’t get out”, Donna tells that she sees too many clients who are ‘stuck’. This is where Donna says the healing aspect comes into Warra Warra’s service delivery.

When asked what healing meant to her Donna responded by saying that, “Healing is really about sitting around yarning, supporting each other and having family around to guide us. We heal as a family.” Inspired by other First Nation leaders and attending Red Dust Healing, an Indigenous specific programme founded by Tom Powell , Donna says she was keen to implement a local healing initiative.

“These projects have demonstrated how important healing is and that this should be a part of our service” Donna says of Warra Warra “We should be supporting our mob to heal and not just be there for the crisis times.” Prevention of violence in Aboriginal communities is core business for Warra Warra Legal Service and they take this responsibility seriously incorporating anti-violence messages into all their initiatives. “We don’t have a lot of programmes around healing for the Aboriginal people of the Far West NSW,” Donna tells. Warra Warra is seeking funding to run the Speaking and Healing projects again for the communities of Far West NSW. Community members who attended the workshops were keen to ask when Warra Warra and Knowmore would be back in town again.

When asked about the name Speaking and Healing, where it came from and what it meant Mrs Kennedy told an anecdote which involved an interaction with her CEO. “We were sitting there and I was trying to figure out a name, I was talking about healing and kept using a hand motion around my mouth”, she repeats this action which looks as though she has a word on the tip of her tongue, “My CEO said to me ‘Donna you keep doing this motion’,” Donna tells of how this conversation led to the name Speaking and Healing.

Donna emphasises that speaking, “it’s a big part of healing, if you don’t speak about it, it can bring you down more.” “Through the projects”, tells Donna, “we created a culturally safe space for our Aboriginal people to speak…Some of our people took a big step and spoke to the Knowmore mob.” Donna is referring to one on one sessions with solicitors about speaking to the Royal Commission. For some, says Donna “it’s time to go- ‘I really want to speak’.” For many Speaking and Healing was a forum to be heard and to know that what happened to themselves, and mob, was wrong and that this doesn’t have to happen again.

Donna tells of what healing looks like for her and shares that for her, “sitting on the creek bed, having a cook up and a yarn is the best medicine…it gets you out in the fresh air and helps on a spiritual level.” The Far West of NSW doesn’t have a designated space for Aboriginal community to use for healing. When asked what an Aboriginal healing centre would look like for the Far West NSW region, Donna responded that it would be a culturally safe space to, “talk and make art whether it be painting, carving, singing or performing…” Donna’s eyes light up as she talks about this space and how Warra Warra will play a part in bringing healing to Aboriginal community of this region.