"I love this town... this town I call home."
These words from Parkes Wiradjuri artist Irene Ridgeway resonated with so many who attended this year's Australia Day official ceremony in Cooke Park.
The love for Parkes and its people was echoed through speeches on the day and later by passing comments.
When Irene was presented the Performance Award during the Australia Day Cultural Awards, she shared her pride in her town and her culture, and all who contribute to them.
"I am a proud Wiradjuri woman," she said.
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"I love this town."
Irene was recognised for her role in the 'Her name is Nanny Nellie' documentary, which is directed by her son Daniel King and explores her journey to retrace her great-grandmother Nellie’s past.
The documentary premiered at the 2023 SA Film Festival, and has since been screened on SBS in early 2024, and remains available on SBS on demand for the next two years.
It's also won the Museum Display Award at the National Museum and Galleries Association Awards and the NSW Museum and Galleries Imagine Award.
And in an overwhelming step forward, it will now be part of the NSW Curriculum for Years 11 and 12 from 2025.
The documentary was screened at Parkes Library during NAIDOC Week with Irene and Daniel participating in a Q&A session after the film’s screening, allowing audience members a chance to hear firsthand Irene and Daniel’s personal reflections on making the film.
"The documentary is a powerful piece of truth-telling and reconciliation," Irene's award nomination read.
"We all have powerful women in our family and we all have powerful men in our family - they shape us who we are today," Irene said at the ceremony.
There were two Visual Arts Awards announced on Sunday, one going to the Parkes Community Arts for its exceptional photography exhibition and public art project Who is Parkes and the other to artist Sean James Cassidy for his ongoing service to the arts of Parkes and Wiradjuri culture.
The Who is Parkes billboard project throughout 2024 has now become an integral part of the landscape across the Parkes Shire, showcasing works by photographers – both professional and amateur, old and contemporary.
"Not only has this project showcased our creatives, our history and our loved citizens, it has also provided a tourism offering in Parkes and our villages," its award nomination read.
Meanwhile Sean and his company Ub Ubbo assisted in a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) development of a 30 metre mural in the Philippines.
The wall showcases a mixture of Wiradjuri and Philippines art work.
Sean worked with the Australian Embassy to have the mural created and was the go-between person for the Wiradjuri artists of the Parkes Shire and the Philippine artists.
"Ub Ubbo Exchange has worked to promote indigenous and non-indigenous collaborations through the arts," the award nomination read.
Sean’s efforts were acknowledged by UNESCO and the Australian and Philippine Embassies for his capability of expressing art concepts of many cultures.
The mural was named Yindyamarra, a Wiradjuri word for respect.
"Sean presented the name and meaning of yindyamarra to the Philippines and they grabbed the idea with great gusto," the nomination said.
"We acknowledge that for a man from the small town of Parkes in NSW to have worked at such high levels is amazing, and Sean is a very worthy recipient of this award."
