THERE were plenty of reasons to celebrate at Willum Warrain Aboriginal Gathering Place in Hastings on Saturday 21 March.
Willum Warrain is celebrating 12 years of caring for its community members and for the site that it has woven into a beautiful place of reconciliation.
Willum Warrain CEO, Uncle Peter Aldenhoven said, “we thank all our mob and allies for helping us celebrate our birthday and for sharing our excitement and hopes for Treaty”.
Jules Pittle from Mornington Peninsula Human Rights Group added, “Willum Warrain Aboriginal Gathering Place is a living example of self-determination – Aboriginal people running things their way and taking care of the land. We are supporting this event because we are committed to the right of First Peoples to self-determination and to celebrate the Treaty as a first step in this direction”.
Keynote speaker, Bunurong woman Zoe Upton, whose family was impacted by policies that led to Stolen Generations, commented “The Victorian Treaty holds the promise of a better future for my people. It is exciting to see so many now supporting it”.
Frankston and Balnarring have also just hosted events celebrating First Nations culture and reconciliation. “With Australia’s first Treaty now enacted, people from all round the Peninsula are celebrating bridge-building between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Victorians,” Upton added.
The event also marked the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and was attended by Sheena Watt MP, Chair of the Victorian government’s anti-racism taskforce.
Celebrations followed after the speakers with a performance by Jalgany, dancing, and birthday cake.
First published in the Western Port News – 25 March 2026
