Our Program

The first yarning circle in the public domain of the region was built as part of the Campbelltown 2020 program, as a symbolic and functional space for everyone to celebrate enduring Aboriginal cultural practices and learn from one another.

Yarning Circles are Aboriginal cultural spaces that have been used for thousands of years to learn from a collective group, build respectful relationships and to preserve and pass on cultural knowledge. They are also meeting places for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities to come together and talk, or yarn, about social issues.

The Campbelltown 2020 Yarning Circle represents a commitment to supporting and sharing Aboriginal culture and acknowledging the long standing history of the Dharawal people of Campbelltown.

The Campbelltown 2020 Yarning Circle was opened in Koshigaya Park during December 2020.

Proudly funded under the Australian Government's Stronger Communities Program and the New South Wales Government in association with Campbelltown City Council

We acknowledge the support and contributions of the Dharawal Men's Aboriginal Corporation, Tharawal Local Aboriginal Land Council and Cubbitch Barta Native Title Claimants in the development of this project.

The Fringe Lily (Thysanotus tuberosus) is the perennial herb that is indigenous to the Macarthur region and yet is often difficult to spot in the wild. It can be best distinguished by its bright purple 'lily-like' flowers.

Within Dharawal culture, the Fringe Lily is associated with a narrative of remembrance and acknowledging and reflecting on the past. With this in mind, the Fringe Lily has been adopted as The Campbelltown 2020 Remembrance Flower.

With the support of The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, over 1000 Fringe Lily plants will be propagated from seed and gifted to the community to enjoy these stunning flowers in their own homes and gardens.

The Remembrance Flower symbolises a commitment to Aboriginal storytelling and ensure local histories are remembered.

300 Fringe Lilies have been gifted to the community during events such as Australia Day and Ingleburn Alive. The remaining Fringe Lilies will be included in other events or projects through Spring and Summer 2020.

The Fringe Lily is propagated by Growing Friends Volunteers from Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens. This program has also been supported by The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.

The Campbelltown 2020 logo was designed by local artists and graphic designers, Joshur Bell and Feras Shaheen. The logo draws inspiration from an archive of typographic signage and advertising found across the region from the 19th and 20th Centuries, presented in a simple and bold palette of green, orange, black and white.

A visual language is created with the inclusion of geometric shapes

The three circles representing the three pillars of the program - the rich Aboriginal history, Bicentennial milestones, and future aspirations of the area.

The two undulating lines reference the two rivers, the Georges and Nepean, which have cradled the region and been essential in the evolution of the city, from a pastoral outpost, to a thriving centre of the Western Parklands City.

1 December 2020 marks the official 200 year anniversary of the naming of Campbelltown. To celebrate this important milestone for our City, a time capsule was buried in the Governor Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie Rose and Iris Garden at Glenalvon House to be reopened in another 100 years.

The time capsule contains a range of items donated by us and the community to capture our place in Campbelltown's history.

Thank you to all the community groups who have contributed and to the residents who submitted their ideas for items to be included in the time capsule.

Watch video:

284-298 Queen Street, Campbelltown. (L-R): McGuanne House, the Old Railway Hotel, Stanwell House and the Coaching House.

Only in Campbelltown, is a series of guided tours across the region, hosted by Andrew Allen, Local Studies Librarian, Campbelltown City Library that celebrate local history and heritage through an exploration and discovery of monuments, landmarks and buildings - some well-known and others, well kept secrets.

This program presented in a series of videos is featured on Council's website and social media sharing memories and connections to our culturally rich and diverse city.

Only in Campbelltown

Campbelltown reservoir and Cattle Tank water reservoir, Hurley Park Campbelltown (1886). Photo: Campbelltown City Library. Courtesy Kerry and Jones Collection.

Take a trip back through time from 1820s Campbelltown right through to modern Campbelltown today with this pictorial journey through 200 Years of Campbelltown which we also featured on Council's Facebook and Instagram pages.

Through the social media campaign we shared a handful of historically significant photographs from each decade focusing on the people, places, events and stories that have shaped Campbelltown. As we progress through the decades from 1820s Campbelltown to 2020 our 200 Years Together photo gallery revealed the rich and multilayered history of Campbelltown.

We invite locals to create new stories and original artworks to contribute to the publishing of a children's storybook by and for our local families.

The 2020 Children's Storybook is an exciting project that invites children and their families from across Campbelltown to take part in fun and engaging activities to celebrate this special moment in our history.

This initiative has been developed in partnership with Information and Cultural Exchange, a leading community arts and digital engagement organisation based in Western Sydney.

The activities will take place at Glenquarie Library throughout 2020, with the finished book being launched during Children's Week, 26 - 30 October, 2020.

In partnership with Information and Cultural Exchange.

Campbelltown Literacy Initiative for Diverse Writers Mentors. (L-R): Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Phoebe Grainer, Winnie Dunn and Stephen Pham. Photo: Tyler Aves.

Students from local schools will have the opportunity to create new stories and narratives of local experiences, touching on personal history and heritage as part of the Campbelltown Literacy Initiative for Diverse Writers.

This program is a series of school-based literacy workshops, masterclasses and excursions for young people from Campbelltown and run in partnership with Sweatshop.

Sweatshop is a literacy movement based in Western Sydney that is devoted to empowering culturally and linguistically diverse communities through reading, writing and critical thinking.

Throughout 2020, students will author new creative and critical texts that will be included in public artworks, live readings, podcasts, videos and publications that will be launched locally and in Sydney as part of the 2020 Sydney Writers' Festival.

Proudly presented by the Crown and Packer Foundation through the Western Sydney Arts Initiative.

Fifty Shades of Green, photo by Bron King

A joint venture between Macarthur councils to host a nature photography competition with a number of categories covering age groups and levels of experience.

You are invited to enter your most striking, engaging and enticing images of local native flora, wildlife and natural scenery taken from within the Macarthur area, showcasing your artistic vision and impression of the natural environment to the wider community.

Moments captured have the ability to remind us that photography has the power to transport us to unseen worlds.

How to enter

The 2020 Macarthur Nature Photography Competition launches on Monday 21 September, with all entries due in by Friday 23 October 2020.

In 2020 Campbelltown Arts Centre (C-A-C) will present a suite of programs and public art projects that complement the unique, diverse and creative landscape of Campbelltown.

The Fringe Lily Mural Project

The Fringe Lily Mural Project is an exciting new public artwork that has been created by local Aboriginal artist, Peter Gregson, in collaboration with Aboriginal street artist, Merindah Funnell. Together, they have been working with the community to create a dynamic and colourful mural that celebrates the Campbelltown 2020 Remembrance Flower, the Fringe Lily.

Across a series of workshops held at community events, and working closely with specific groups, Peter and Merindah have engaged the community to reflect on their personal connection to Campbelltown, and in doing so consider the role of memory in forming a sense of place.

The Fringe Lily Mural was unveiled at HJ Library, Campbelltown on Friday 20 March as part of Seniors Festival, 2020.

Break the Cinnamon Branch

Break the Cinnamon Branch takes its name from a law dealing with cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) imposed in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during Dutch colonial rule. Cinnamon was native to the island and this law mandated capital punishment for a series of offences including the destruction of a cinnamon plant, unauthorised peeling of its bark, private trade in cinnamon, and transportation of cinnamon.

In this new series of performances, Sri Lankan-Australian inter-disciplinary artist Jagath Dheerasekara, explores the routine performance of cooking. Jagath's memories of his childhood, expressions of his mother's love, and the joy of making his favourite dishes are enlaced within these explorations. Jagath interrogates notions of belonging and integration through casually charged encounters his family and he experience in Australia and certain patriarchal values that were deeply seated in Sri Lanka where he grew up. The enduring legacy that the island's colonial past has on him too has not escaped from his interrogations. Break the Cinnamon Branch presents the artist's experiences and investigations to the viewer in a deeply considered and eccentric way.

Dive deeper into the project with Break the Cinnamon Branch Conversations, a podcast series hosted by Jagath Dheerasekara. In each episode Jagath speaks with families from around Campbelltown to share stories of their lives; from sweet home-made delicacies to crossing country borders by foot in fear of persecution.

Sanpo Make Boxes

We have a strong connection to our Sister City Koshigaya, Japan and the Japanese Gardens within the Campbelltown Art Centre (C-A-C) is the perfect place to see and feel that connection.

The MAKE BOX | SANPO Edition

The MAKE BOX is a new program from Campbelltown Arts Centre that allows children and their carers to create together at home. SANPO is the first edition of a series of take home boxes that are fully equipped with materials and instructions to take C-A-C creative play home.

Discover your 5 senses and unleash the creativity inside you with local artist Machiko Motoi. The MAKE BOX | SANPO Edition is a take home art box opening up to 5 smaller boxes, each containing new art making materials and new creative activities inspired by one of the 5 senses and a space in your home.

Meaning walking in Japanese, SANPO is a creative adventure through the 5 senses guided by Machiko, with step-by-step instructions where children will create individual artworks using a variety of materials including clay, watercolour and much more.

Children and their carers will learn a new making techniques in each box, with each adventure building up to a SANPO celebration of all the artworks created along the way.

MAKE BOX | SANPO Edition and SANPO | Drawing Pack is now available in the C-A-C shop or you can place an order online.

This program is eligible for the Service NSW Creative Kids voucher.