Forbes Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre Secretary Aileen Allen says she hopes to place Aboriginal sculptures around Lake Forbes, after Forbes Shire Council announced it had applied for a State Government grant. Council will make a full application for the grant, which is worth $270,000, to expand the Centre, which would include installing at least eight sculptures, interpretive signage, extra tables and chairs, landscaping, a toilet block, and an ampitheatre to host more cultural workshops.
The grant would be a massive coup for the Centre, which earlier this year received three new security cameras, a new barbeque, and a new table set. The barbeque and table set arrived just in time for Reconciliation Day celebrations a number of weeks ago.
Ms Allen said the sculptures would be sculpted by Wiradjuri artists, and would run up and down Lake Forbes. “We would start with eight to ten sculptures, and they would start at the Dreaming Centre near the footbridge, run up to where the road is, and then come back down on the other side of the river,” she said.
With the barbeque and table now in place at the Centre, Ms Allen encouraged the whole community to use it. “It’s there for everyone and not just Aboriginal people, and it can be used at any time,” she said. Ms Allen added, plans to construct a small information building at the Centre were also being considered.
By Joshua Matic