Author: TM Diep

Page 9

EGERIA

Maddies Barn

Located in the courtyard of 288 Queen St the barn was originally the “wooden coach house” used as an area of public entertainment (described above).
For the last nine years the Centre for Women’s Health has dreamed of its conversion to a place for women to meet, learn arts and performing skills. This dream has seemed impossible because of heritage considerations and cost and we have had to limit its use as storage.
In the last two years with the assistance of a generous grant from the Purves Foundation and the support and guidance of Campbelltown Council our dreams have come true. It was opened and named Maddies barn in July 2004 in memory of Madeline Harkin’s creativity, commitment and contribution to the Centre for Women’s Health, the Campbelltown community and the area of domestic violence. Madeline joined the Centre for Women’s Health’s Domestic Violence Team in 1995 and was manager of the team a year later. In 2000 after her diagnosis with inflammatory breast cancer Madeline transferred to the position Manager, Research and Evaluation where she could utilise her passion and skills in ensuring women’s views and opinions were heard.

Naala

The woman known as Nelly Andrews once more became Naala of the D’harawals, daughter of Ngaalour. She had left and made her way, on foot, back to the land that was her birthright, the Yandelora (or, lands of peace between people).
Nelly, or Naala lived here, in the Yandelora, until, at the age of about 103, on the banks of the Nepean River near Camden, she passed into the world of her ancestral spirits.
Naala was born and grew to womanhood in a time that marked the end of an era for her people. A time of change.
In her adult life she witnessed the changed world, but did not forget or lose the lessons of her childhood – the laws and culture of the land that had sustained her life and spirit.
Descendants of Naala have spread all over the world, to Egypt, nursing, to Japan in Foreign Affairs, to Hong Kong, as a Town Planner, to Africa, to Saudi Arabia, to New Zealand as a Ski Instructor. They have gone into many professions, as diverse as veterinary science, psychology, hydrological engineering, chemical engineering, medicine, teaching, cricket and even, God help us, banking.
This clearly demonstrates that the wisdom of Naala, acquired through living in times of great change, is our inheritance – and can be the inheritance shared by all those who live in the Yandel’ora.

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