National Indigenous Fire Workshop, Bundanon Trust

For the first time in July 2018, the four-day National Indigenous Fire Workshop was held outside of Cape York, at the late Australian artist Arthur Boyd's Bundanon Trust property in Yuin Country on the New South Wales South Coast. 

The National Indigenous Fire Workshop evolved from the Awu-Alaya speaking Elders, Kuku Thaypan Fire Management research project in Cape York along with the foresight and teachings of Cape York fire practitioners and respected Kuku Thaypan Elders, the late Dr George Musgrave and Dr Tommy George. 

Their work is greatly respected and has inspired communities all over the country and brings people together to learn about Aboriginal fire management and appropriate research methodologies.

Watch the short film series we co-produced with Firesticks, The Good Fire, Dharrawal-Yuin Ngurra

The first part of this series, ‘Dharrawal-Yuin Country’, features Yuin Traditional Custodians' cultural burning at the 2018 National Indigenous Fire Workshop held at Bundanon Trust, Shoalhaven, NSW, Australia. The second part of this series, ‘After the Wildfires’, reflects on the impacts of good and bad fire. Culturally burned sites on Yuin Country are revisited 18 months after the destructive wildfires of 2019/2020.

Official 2018 partners: Bundanon Trust, Cape York Natural Resource Management, Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation, Indigenous Community Volunteers (ICV) Australia, Mudjingaalbaraga Firesticks Team, Mulong, The Importance of Campfires, University of Technology, Sydney (Jumbunna and School of Design), Vera Hong Productions

Official 2018 sponsors: Australian Government National Landcare Programme, Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations, NSW Government’s Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, Saving our Species Program, Rural Fire Service, South East Local Land Services, NSW Rural Fire Service Association

Producers: Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation and Vera Hong Productions
Cinematography: Craig Bender and Vera Hong
Aerial Cinematography: Craig Bender
Additional Camera: Ben Lister
Editors: Craig Bender and Vera Hong

Film stills by Craig Bender and Vera Hong