COMING HOME Stories of Bandjalang Elders

DOCUMENTARY, 24min, 2023

Executive Producer - The Jarjum Centre

Co-Producer/Director - Mitch King & Karenza Ebejer

DOP - Ryan Andrew Lee

Editor - Coedie McCarthy

Featuring - Uncle Warren Williams, Aunty Irene Cavanough, Aunty Alvina Kapeen

“Coming Home-Stories From Banjalang Elders was developed to capture the voices of Elders for the BoxRidge Coraki Playgroup, a community-led response to early childhood in partnership with Jarjum Centre. Rather than developing a Westernized resource, through this film, we are highlighting that Story is our most important, and treasured possession, that we have to share with our Jarjums into the future.” [Maurita Cavanough, Dir. The Jarjum Centre]

The three Elders featured in this documentary have history with the Box Ridge Aboriginal mission near Coraki, Northern NSW. Uncle Warren Williams, Aunty Irene Cavanaugh and Aunty Alvina Kapeen speak about the origins of Box Ridge Mission and their connections to Country and ancestry. They reflect on their time growing up as a Jarjum (kid) in the 60’s and the importance of maintaining connection to Country for wellbeing.  

“We’ve got a special place because we’ve got Goanna headlands.”  - Uncle Warren Willams, Bandjalang Elder and community leader. 

This film was co-produced by Mitch King and directed by Karenza Ebejer, local Elders share their stories in the beautiful landscape of the Bandjalang region which stretches from Evans Head to the region just west of Casino. Each of the Elders take the filmmakers to the places within their Country, showing them where they used to swim at Sandy Point or play at the Box Ridge reserve. Reenactments of their story are performed by the community members of Coraki and Box-Ridge.