Pormpuraaw Women’s Camp 2025
November 06, 2025
In October the Raak Wuunatha Paanthu Women’s Camp gathered women from Pormpuraaw and Kowanyama for a week of connection and fun. Held in Pormpuraaw, the camp opened on Monday, with formal registrations and introductions on Tuesday morning. The participants and staff at the Maatchangk Women’s Shelter were welcomed by elder and Chairperson of the Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Council Aunty Merideth, who helped set the tone of respect for the week.
After introductions, the group travelled to Homeland where Mum Myrtle, a Traditional Owner of Pormpuraaw and of the Kuk Thyorre clan, welcomed and blessed the women to country, offering everyone grounding and protection.
Women began the camp by setting expectations around attending the camp and artistically displaying them onto a banner; a collaborative piece of artwork that reflected the group’s values around identity, culture, connection and respect.
Other activities throughout the week blended creativity with cultural practices as women of all skill levels shared weaving techniques and stories. Aunty Meridith quietly started making a dilly bag, showing how elders teach without words, while Bonnie demonstrated other weaving styles for people to try. Most women gave weaving a go, they found it easy to pick up, Josie said everyone “picked it up so well because it was natural and instinctual, it’s in our blood,” showing how this knowledge comes from our ancestors.
Small groups coloured together while yarning about important issues for women, such as family responsibility, community pressures and cultural expectations. These activities blended calm creativity with meaningful conversation, while other participants used journaling to capture feelings and reflections from those conversations.
Other mindfulness sessions, such as morning beach exercises, and fishing trips offered a physical outlet for strengthening wellbeing with plenty of laughter. Tie-dye t-shirt making added colour and joy, while bingo and yarning circles brought laughter and deep conversation about identity, Homeland, and intergenerational community connection.
Throughout the week, the Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) team showed their recent videos, sparking conversations about health, prompting many women to shift toward quitting smoking. Other topics covered during the week included breast screening, cervical cancer, vaccinations, and sugary drinks.
On the final day the group returned to Mum Myrtle’s Homeland for closing reflections; Mum Myrtle sang in her traditional language and shared significant stories that moved many, with women expressing the importance of connection to Country. One of the participants sharing that they haven’t been back to the Homeland since they were little, while another saying “I got really emotional the first day coming back out here, just reflecting back on memories has been really emotional for me.”
One participant expressed “the biggest blessing is strength and unity that I’ve learnt from this group, very strong and influential women, I hope we stay connected as family, because at the end of the day we need each other. We’re not strong alone, we’re stronger together”.
A huge congratulations and thank you to Fiona (Health Promotion) for the immense amount of planning and community consultation with Pormpuraaw and Kowanyama women in the months leading into the camp. Deep appreciation to all staff who worked behind the scenes, especially Damien (Health Promotion), Jana (TIS), Bonnie (Marketing and Comms), Amanda (Program Support) and Davin (TIS). We also extend our gratitude to external partners whose collaboration made this event possible: Pormpur Paanthu Aboriginal Corporation, Women’s Shelter, Men’s Group, Justice, Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council, and other local organisations whose dedication, care and partnership brought the camp to life.
