Minister for Hospitality and Racing Kevin Anderson met with local Wilyakali elders and Library staff yesterday to announce $153,820 to capture local indigenous stories.
Indigenous history from across the Broken Hill region will be preserved for future generations thanks to funding from the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government.
Minister for Hospitality and Racing Kevin Anderson said the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government, through the Community Development Fund (CDF), will provide Broken Hill Library with $153,820 to help preserve its archives.
"It is great to see regional communities being able to preserve critical Indigenous history with support from the Community Development Fund," Mr Anderson said.
"We want to keep Broken Hill's Indigenous history alive for years to come, and this funding will help ensure local stories and critical memories are not lost."
The library will work with the local community to collect oral histories, as well as personal documents and photographs relating to the Indigenous history of Broken Hill and surrounding region, and preserve these for future generations and for reference use in the archive.
The collection of material and the archive will be under the stewardship of a Wilyakali elder to help build an understanding and appreciation of local culture and will be made accessible to the public.
"Local libraries contribute significantly to the educational development and literacy of any community and are so important for connecting people and information," Mr Anderson said.
The library's wider archives hold significant industrial, social, and historic documentation of Broken Hill and surrounding districts such as Silverton, White Cliffs, Menindee and Wilcannia.
More than $3.9 million has been allocated through the CDF program in this round, which has been shared by 32 organisations to run initiatives in their local communities.
"The CDF has helped a variety of communities across community groups, arts, sporting and other worthy causes," Mr Anderson said.
"These organisations understand their local areas better than anyone, and that is why we empower them to deliver this work by investing in their projects."
Past recipients include projects to support drought-affected communities and youth, mental health and domestic violence services and communities impacted by bushfires.
Grants under the scheme range from $5,000 to $250,000 for projects that can show they have clear community benefits.
For more information on the Fund, please visit: www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/community-development-fund
