Aunties

Matt Adnate

Portrait of Aunty Mary and Aunty Violet

100 Percent Visual Content
Wheelchair Accessible
Guide Dog Accessible
Language No Barrier

Mural painted by well-known artist Matt Adnate, features Aunty Violet Harrison and Aunty Mary James, two significant past local elders. The Aboriginal Street Art Project has been named by locals as ‘Dana Djirrungana Dunguludja Yenbena-l’ which means ‘Proud, Strong, Aboriginal People’ in Yorta Yorta language. This project is aimed at celebrating the local Aboriginal history and culture within the region.

Aunty Violet Harrison was born on 24 January 1906 at the Cummeragunja Mission and was a mother to 13 children. She was one of the founding members of the Rumbalara Cooperative, one of the founding members of, what was at the time, the Shepparton Aboriginal Keeping Place and a longstanding member of the Greater Shepparton Aboriginal community.

Aunty Mary James was born on 5 October 1913 at the Cummeragunja Mission and was mother to 14 children. She was one of the founding members of the Rumbalara Cooperative, one of the founding members of the Shepparton Aboriginal Funeral Fund, one of the founding members of the Community Care Program through the Methodist Church, a member of the Rumbalara Housing Board, one of the founding members of the Shepparton Justice and Police Liaison Unit and one of the founding members of, what was at the time, the Shepparton Aboriginal Keeping Place.