Wandha Djerring Reflection by Tori Kerr
My name is Tori Kerr and I joined the Minum Barreng: Indigenous Eye Health Unit team at the beginning of 2025. I am a proud Dja Dja Wurrung/Yorta Yorta woman who began my career journey at the University of Melbourne in 2024 through the Melbourne Indigenous Professional Employment Program.
In March, our team within Minum Barreng: Indigenous Eye Health Unit (MB:IEHU) came together for Wandha Djerring (Woi Wurrung for come together) Week.
Wandha Djerring (come together) is a team gathering space to support cultural learning, reflection, and connection. With staff travelling from across Melbourne, and even from the Northern Territory, it was a powerful reminder of the importance of face-to-face connection.
Monday: Coming Together
We kicked off Wandha Djerring Week on Monday evening with a welcome dinner.
It was a chance for us all to catch up, with some familiar faces catching up after a long time apart, and others meeting in person for the first time. This set the perfect vibe for the week ahead.
Tuesday: Connection and Collaboration
Tuesday morning, some of our team attended the Indigenous Staff Connection Day, an initiative ran by the Indigenous Staff Committee Network at the University of Melbourne. This was a great opportunity to meet, network, and hear from Indigenous staff leaders across the University. Listening to everyone's journeys and leadership insights was extremely inspiring and motivating for our own personal career journeys, also getting to chat and make new connections with mob was a highlight.
In the afternoon, we returned to the Minum Barreng: Indigenous Eye Health Unit office to continue our planning meetings. It was great to be able to brainstorm and strategize together in person, building on the energy and ideas sparked during the session.
Wednesday: Community and Country
We started Wednesday with a trip down to Mornington, Bunurong/Boon Wurrung Country, visiting Nairm Marr Djambana, a gathering place for First Nations people in Frankston focused on culture, wellbeing, and connection.
We learned about the amazing services and support they provide for mob including, play groups, youth groups as well as womens and mens groups. The tour of their centre, and time spent out in their beautiful garden learning about some native plants and vegetables they grow and use was insightful and amazing to hear, see and experience.
In the afternoon, we headed to The Briars in Mount Martha, a beautiful 230 hectare heritage precinct with plenty to do including the wetland walking trail in the Wildlife Sanctuary which we opted for. Spotting native animals in their natural habitat was a special highlight, grounding us and extending our appreciation for the beautiful country we were on and its living culture.
Thursday: Grounding and Cultural Immersion
Thursday was a day of reflection and learning. Some started off the morning with a cold dip in the ocean while others kept warm indoors. We kicked off at Mount Martha House Community Centre, where Lesley, our lovely Minum Barreng: IEHU colleague led us through a beautiful grounding session out on the lawn. It was the perfect way to slow down, connect with ourselves, and set the tone for the day. We spent the morning future planning for Minum Barreng, sharing ideas and visions for the path ahead.
In the afternoon, we visited Willum Warrain, a gathering place and Aboriginal Association in Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula supporting shared identity and community aspirations for an incredibly powerful cultural immersion experience from one of their fabulous facilitators Tammie Sipthorpe. We spent time sharing where our mobs come from, learning about the cultural significance of possum skin cloaks, and walking through their gardens, discovering the traditional uses of native plants. We were painted up and invited to take part in a Welcome and Smoking Ceremony. This was such a beautiful experience to close off our session at Willum Warrain, I left with a deep sense of connection and grounding to country, my ancestors and culture.
We closed out the week with a final stop at a local winery, yarning about our week together and all our favourite highlights and learnings. We spent time saying our goodbyes to those heading back to the Northern Territory and headed back to Naarm to rest after our busy but rewarding week.
This Wandha Djerring has been a great experience to connect with the team and learn about the culture of the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung Country. This time was full of connection, culture, and reflection. It reminded us how powerful it is to come together in person, share space, and learn from each other. I am excited to see what the next one brings!
