THE founders of a new museum of Aboriginal culture in Ballarat hope the facility will help stamp out negative stereotypes about the city’s 1200-strong Aboriginal population.
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Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative (BADAC) has transformed the former art gallery on Main Road into a living culture museum, education, training and conference facility, cafe and retail space.
It will be used to host NAIDOC Week activities, education groups and significant events.
Click here to see photos from yesterday’s event
The centre, which was officially opened yesterday, will maintain a Victorian focus and aims to break down negative stereotypes and misinformation about Aboriginal people.
BADAC cultural education support officer Jade Lyndon-Hudson said it was a place built by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people.
But it was also about passing on their cultural heritage to future generations and the wider community.
“The most important thing about this building is people walking in and having one mindset about Aboriginal people – we hope when they leave they’ll have a different mindset,” he said.
“We’re not all alcoholics.
BADAC, which has four sites across Ballarat providing employment, education, heath and welfare services, worked for two years to transform the building and lobbied for state, federal and private funding towards the $80,000 project.
