The opening ceremony for Benalla’s redeveloped Visitor Information Centre and cinema complex heralded a new chapter for the Rose City.
While much of the opening looked to the future, plenty was on display honouring the past.
A patchwork quilt created by Aboriginal women from across the area, initially displayed in the Glasshouse as part of NAIDOC Week, was one of the featured artworks on display at the event.
Yorta Yorta elder Aunty Cheryl Cooper passionately spoke about it to all in attendance.
“It was done by a group of Aboriginal women from this area, and four of them had never sewn before,” Auntie Cheryl said.
“So it’s got a story to it. It’s to do with reconciliation, it’s to do with learning the culture, keeping the culture and taking everyone along with us.
“Not just Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, everybody.”
Aunty Cheryl then explained the significance of the different patches.
“Here we have (something) which is in our Dreamtime stories, under all different names in different language groups, but we have the Rainbow Serpent, which is in our culture,” she said.
“We have different bits showing the land. There’s animals that represent things in our culture.
“There’s hearts, for the heart of the people, our heart, our country, everybody together.”
Aunty Cheryl pointed to the patch she made, explaining it represented the birthing tree.
Other patches represented lost culture.
“These women here (represented on the quilt) are the ones that have lost culture, that are looking back to find culture,” she said.
“They’re young people, and also other people from all works of life, trying to understand culture and to keep our culture alive.”
Aunty Cheryl thanked Benalla Rural City Council for displaying the quilt at the VIC opening.
“This is a real historical thing, and I think it’s wonderful,” she said.
“I’d also like to acknowledge that one of the ladies that made this quilt, we attended her funeral last week.
“She’s from Benalla, she’s an Aboriginal woman, and she did a lot of pieces on here (the quilt).
“So this now means very much to our hearts and, I hope, to the community as a whole.
“Thank you, everybody.”