CONNECTING YOU TO A BETTER FUTURE
OUR STORY
Colly Connected was created so that our people - the Aboriginal community of Collarenebri, NSW can have a voice. We will act as the ‘cultural broker’ between the Indigenous community of Collarenebri and the rest of New South Wales. We want to be the voice of our community, to advocate for our community and to empower them. Through building relationships and liaising with external services, we will achieve outcomes that will allow our people to unlock their true potential, and to be able to exercise their own autonomy. Rural & remote communities lack the tools and resources necessary to access supports related to health, business or sports etc., and we will aid in bridging that gap so that our community can live a life of prosperity and longevity. We also strive to revitalise and reawaken culture within our community in hopes to pass the torch to future generations that will keep the fire burning.
ClIENT REFERAL
We are able to link clients in with the necessary services to help them achieve their goals. This type of service is a 'warm referral' which involves:
​
-
phoning the service for the person
-
passing on information to the service with the person’s consent
-
helping the client to navigate through the whole process
Culural mentoring
Our aim of cultural mentoring is to establish a connection with the client to help them empower themselves through cultural practices, emphasising kinship systems and practicing mindfulness. We offer 1:1 support as well as group sessions such as Mens/Womens or youth groups.
​​
Also, we offer cultural awareness and history teaching in the form of workshops or cultural.
Consultancy
We offer consultancy as a service targeted towards liaising with the community about initiatives within the Aboriginal community, or land care/development on country and the preservation of sacred sites and any other collaborations that may impact our community and country, as well as project management for community events.
HEALTH & WELL-BEING PROMOTION
A goal of ours is to inspire our community to embark on the journey of their personal growth to increase the longevity of their lives and encourage them to make healthy living choices through health promotion, increasing health awareness and implementing programs that will positively impact the men, women, youth and elders of our community.
OUR PROJECTS
In 2022 we were privileged to host our first ever annual Rugby League Knockout Carnival which consists of 8 teams, with most of the competing teams being from the local Barwon-Darling region from communities such as Mungindi, Walgett, Brewarrina, Bourke, Goodooga & Enngonia. We’ve had the pleasure of having two new teams compete this year from outside of our region, one team representing the communities of Wilcannia, Broken Hill & Menindee, and the other - Coonabarabran & Pilliga.
The intended purpose of creating a Knockout was originally to help smaller disadvantaged towns that may not be able to attend the NSW Koori Knockout Carnival due to the cost of travel and accommodation, and to bring a Knockout to them on neutral ground to battle it out, and showcase the talents of each town and what they have to offer, as well as creating a dynamic, competitive brand of rugby league for the entertainment of our Barwon-Darling communities.
The Knockout has grown to be an event that also:
​
-
Contributes to the town of Collarenebri’s economy.
-
Contributes to the economy of towns in the local Walgett Shire region.
-
Acts as great pathway to learn valuable skills such as project & event managing for those volunteering their time to help organise and plan the event.
-
Is a great health initiative to promote a healthy lifestyle, to incentivise people to train and get physically fit and stay physically fit.
-
To be a positive outlet for people by using rugby league as the vehicle.
-
Can be used as a platform to raise awareness and bring light to sensitive issues. e.g. – infant loss, mental health, grief & loss etc.
-
A way for all our towns, families, and friends to reconnect with each other to create memories, and a time to connect to country and culture.
-
​Strengthens communication and comradery between neighbouring towns.