Brungle Health Expo connects with community

Dean Freeman of Brungle and NSW Rural Fire Service’s Shyheim Little conduct a burning ceremony at the Brungle Community Health Expo last Friday.

Murrumbidgee Local Health District’s Brungle Community Health Expo gave the Brungle community a clear picture of what health services are available to them when it was held last Friday.  

MLHD invited the whole Brungle and surrounding communities to come along and talk with visiting health services about what they need and find out more about how to access services, and the community accepted the invitation in big numbers.

The day began with Welcome to Country, followed by a smoking ceremony conducted by Dean Freeman of Brungle and NSW Rural Fire Service’s Shyheim Little.

This was followed by an Indigenous dance.

Specialist health staff conducted mini-health checks, and as well as all the different health services stands, there were RFS trucks, an ambulance, children’s activities and a barbecue.

Brungle Aboriginal Health Service chairperson Aunty Sonia Piper said it was a wonderful day.

“They made it clearer what services are available,” she said.

Ms Piper was worried that the weather might put a literal dampener on the event, but this was not the case.

“On Thursday it rained and I was worried, because we had schoolchildren dancing in Aboriginal outfits, but it turned out wonderfully; the weather was lovely,” she said.

“It was a very good crowd and everyone was very pleased. We had a yarning circle in the paddock, and there were plenty of stalls with lots of information; it was wonderful.

“Everyone I spoke to really enjoyed it, and Murrumbidgee Health were great for organising it.”

Ms Piper said the Brungle community used to have such events in the past, which were mostly organised by elders in the community, but had not done so for some time.

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