By JESSE GRAHAM
IT WAS a birthday to remember for HICSA late last month, when a crowd of Healesvillians gathered to commemorate the organisation’s fifth year of running.
More than 60 people gathered at Healesville’s Memo Hall on Wednesday 22 April for the fifth birthday celebration for the Healesville Indigenous Community Services Association (HICSA).
HICSA executive officer of Health Promotion, Anne Jenkins, said the event doubled as a launch for the organisation’s new publications and video clips, formed through courses with young people.
“We turned five at the end of last year,” Ms Jenkins said.
“We had some projects we were working on that we wanted to hold over, so we could have a combined celebration … so it’s a launch and birthday celebration.”
One of the publications is a bush tucker booklet, identifying edible plants that grow locally, and was the result of a program run with students, who photographed the experience for the booklet.
“The book will tell that story,” Ms Jenkins said.
“We had that because we wanted to look at nutrition in the community as well, and we wanted to incorporate bush tucker food into a healthy lifestyle.”
The film clip, meanwhile, is a performance by a youth group, who practised hip-hop dancing and song writing, recording a song to go with their routine.
The video will be made available on YouTube, on the HICSA website and through the Office of Aboriginal Affairs website in the near future, Ms Jenkins said.
Ms Jenkins said HICSA also launched the second stage of their Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday program at the event, mapping out the Indigenous family history of Healesville.
Reflecting on HICSA’s history, Ms Jenkins said the group went back much further than their five years.
“There’s a lot of hard work that has gone into the last 10 years – I’m proud of how the organisation has grown and developed and what we have managed to provide for the community and advocate for in the community in general,” she said.
“I’d just like to say that the board and the volunteers have worked really hard to get us to where we are today, and it’s great to see us celebrating our fifth birthday,” Ms Jenkins said.
For more information on HICSA, visit www.facebook.com/hicsahealesville.
