Vol. 28 No. 42
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Wednesday, April 29, 2026
SHADY SPOT: Dimboola Library and Customer Service Centre underwent a mini-makeover, with the installation of internal block-out blinds and the addition of two umbrella-style shade-sails in the courtyard between the Old Shire Hall and Dimboola Library building. The shade structures create a sun-safe outdoor area for public and community use, and Hindmarsh Shire Council is looking forward to hosting existing and new programs in the outdoor space. The Cover to Cover project was made possible by a State Government grant from The Living Libraries Infrastructure Program. Pictured under the new shade-sails are Lisa Clark, with daughters Amelia and Claire, Cr James Barry and Dimboola Library workers Jessica Kube and Adelle Bone. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Calling out racism H
BY LAUREN HENRY
orsham councillors have used Monday night’s meeting to call out racism in the community, describing it as disgusting, heartbreaking and disappointing.
Councillors and senior council staff attended a ‘Yarning Circle’ at Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative’s Dalki Guli Hub in Horsham on April 1 – an event in conjunction with Barengi Gadjin Land Council – where Aboriginal people were encouraged to share their stories. A Yarning Circle is a traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
conversational process used to share knowledge, build respectful relationships, and foster collaborative decision-making. During the councillor reports part of Monday night’s meeting, five out of seven councillors spoke about the Yarning Circle and the impact racism has on Indigenous people in the Horsham municipality. Mayor Brian Klowss said the Yarning Circle was a chance for all councillors to listen and learn about the issues affecting the Aboriginal community. “At times the conversation was very hard, especially around the racism
that’s happening regularly in-person and online,” he said. “To see the hurt, really hit home with me and it’s time we, as a community, start to call it out for what it is. “It was really emotional. I think some of the stories that were put out there, to see this going on in our community … it was actually disgusting to see that sort of behaviour going on. “ So I call on the community just to call it out if they see it. Let’s try to stop this in our community.” Cr Rebecca Sluggett said the Yarning Circle was an opportunity for councillors to start building a better relationship with the Aboriginal com-
munity and listen to their experiences of living and working in Horsham. “I was so disappointed to hear just how nasty the level and prevalence of racism is in Horsham, and how that affects people daily,” she said. “No one should have to feel that hurt, insulted or unsafe to be in the town they live in. It is a disgrace to our community and we should call out these behaviours when and if we see or hear them. “It is heartbreaking that an organisation that has positive stories and has won multiple awards for their work is unable to share them with the wider community because they are con-
cerned about the negative comments and increased racism their community would face as a result.” Cr Dean O’Loughlin, who works at Goolum Goolum, said it was one of the highlights of his term as councillor to be involved in initiating the Yarning Circle. “This is just the beginning of building ongoing, frank and honest conversations with the cohort of the community that, let’s be honest, haven’t always been represented well,” he said. Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Dimboola murder sentencing • Monthly AgLife • Volleyball history in the making Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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