How vaccine mandates crushed an Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Australia
Channel: Artist as Family
Date: 2022-05-17

Eric, a Gamilaraay man, moved to Yorta Yorta country for fruit picking work back in the day and one of the local elders, Uncle Les Saunders, discovered Eric paints pictures and pulled him under his wing. This friendship led to collaboration and emplacement for Eric, and helped establish a hive of cultural activity in the region, aided by artist and arts administrator Angie, and Mandy, a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung woman. Over many years, Eric, Angie and Mandy worked together to build the profiles of numerous local Aboriginal artists and develop an important cultural hub recognised across Australia and around the world. But then the vaccine mandates came into force in late 2021. This is the story of loss and dismissal, the crushing of a vibrant Aboriginal cultural centre, and the fine paralegal work of Anna, a human rights scholar, who is supporting their fight.