10 November 2020

Narrabri’s community kitchen gets an upgrade

Hundreds of local Indigenous people will benefit from a much-needed upgrade to the Narrabri Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) community kitchen.

The upgrade is made possible by two $10,000 donations from Whitehaven Coal and Viva Energy, who are partnering with the Narrabri LALC to refurbish and retool the community space.

Narrabri LALC CEO, Lynn Trindall, said the improvement of the kitchen will allow the LALC to continue to support its local Aboriginal community, but on a much larger scale and with a more practical kitchen space.

“The Narrabri Aboriginal community will benefit from this upgrade as it provides many valuable services to local Aboriginal people.

“These services include a community food bank, a meal service for elderly residents and school children, and a catering hub for community events, including National Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC week, and community meetings,” Lynn said.

The Narrabri LALC promotes Aboriginal culture and heritage in the Narrabri region, manages lands on behalf of its members, and provides a range of targeted community services and benefits.

Whitehaven has partnered with the land council for more than a decade on projects including annual NAIDOC week celebrations and the reunion of Australia’s second all-Indigenous cricket team, which toured the Maules Creek mine in February 2020.

Whitehaven Aboriginal Relations Manager Bob Sutherland said the partnership was a fantastic opportunity to continue working with the Narrabri LALC, which plays such an important role preserving the region’s Aboriginal heritage.

“With more than 1,500 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people living in Narrabri, representing roughly 12 per cent of the total population, the upgrade will allow the Narrabri LALC to cook more meals for more people.

“The community kitchen is a vital resource in the region and renovations will enhance its utility at a time when more people are doing it tough due to COVID. A meal shared can go a long way to relieving some of that pressure.”

“We are delighted to partner with the Narrabri Aboriginal Land Council and Whitehaven Coal to upgrade the kitchen, but more importantly provide freshly cooked meals and connect local people,” added Darren Barwick, Technical Manager at VIVA Energy.

Pictured:  Whitehaven Aboriginal Community Relations Officer Hollie Sampson with Narrabri LALC CEO Lynn Trindall and VIVA Energy Technical Manager Darren Barwick.

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