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Day 3 Recap: Engaging with hashtag#Barkandji Country

March 25, 2025

Day 3 Recap: Engaging with Barkandji Country

A full day of local engagement and connecting with Country in Wilcannia. Started with an early morning walk along Reid St to visit the studio project sites and important Wilcannia landmarks. Wilcannia has some of the finest regional colonial sandstone buildings in NSW which are much cherished by the community.

Next stop was the incomprable Wilcannia Hospital by Government Architect NSW, Merrima Aboriginal Design Unit, Dillon K.ombumerri, Kevin O’Brien, Alison Page. The Sorry Business pavillion in this project is quite perfect and still much loved, used and standing the test of time beautifully.

After a walk along the river and the new Wilcannia Clinic design by Troppo Architects we had a proper Barkandji cookup lunch on the river. Kanagroo stew and Owen’s fried kanagroo with special herbs and spices. The students had the chance to lunch with community before and guided walk along the river looking at ancient and contemporary scare trees. These show the undeniable presence of Barkandji people through millennia.

In the afternoon we visited architect Anthony Pease who has been painstakingly restoring a two storey stone wool store and homestead in town. Like an architectural Noah and his ark!!

Onto dinner with Tradional custdians the King sisters who shared indepth thier cultural heritage and perspectives on the future. I could not be more appreciative of thier generocity and support over the years.

The day finished a concert of the BlackShaddows at the ‘golf club’ without a golf course. The band members are made up of Aboriginal Rangers including Kyle Whyman who showed us around Paroo the day before.

Accompanied by Marni Reti, Evy Anwar, Ka Wai Yeung, along with our children, we embarked westward with 16 Architectural Masters Students from Architecture, Design and Planning – University of Sydney. This trip forms part of a semester-long design studio based in Wilcannia, offering us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the rich hospitality, culture, and community of Wilcannia.

A special shoutout to Dr Michael Mossman, Dr. Deborah Barnstone, Dr. dagmar reinhardt, and the entire University of Sydney team for their invaluable support in making this unconventional studio experience possible.

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Kaunitz Yeung Architecture

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The Kaunitz Yeung Architecture team acknowledges all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation.
We recognise the original Custodians of Country, their ongoing connection to the land, sky, seas, cultures and communities - paying our respects to Elders, past and present.