Gerringong locals Aunty Gwenda and Uncle Stan Jarrett were awarded Elders of the Year at the recent 2025 Local Government Regional NAIDOC Awards in Shellharbour on the last weekend of July.

The awards night is supported by the four councils in the Illawarra: Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, and Shoalhaven and recognises the talents, achievements, and outstanding contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have made to their communities and beyond.

Aunty Gwenda is a proud Dharawal, Yuin and Wodi Wodi woman and when asked by The Bugle about the significance of this award, gave a humble response.

“I am not into accolades and awards. I have been an unsung hero for many years,” Aunty Gwenda said.

“It [the award] is a reflection of what me and Stan do and what we have put into our lifestyles to make change for Aboriginal people of the east coast of Australia on all levels.”

Uncle Stan is a proud Darumbal man, was also overwhelmed with the honour and has ancestry connections to Gumbaynggirr, Punthamara and Kalkadoon countries.

“So beautiful, yeah, it’s pretty humbling actually,” Uncle Stan said.

“We don’t expect accolades or honours and stuff like that. We just go about our business and keep working for community and trying to help our communities move forward.”

Aunty Gwenda shared what being an Elder means to her, confessing that she prefers being known as an Aunty rather than an Elder, explaining it has been a long road.

“I didn’t want any nominations and I don’t consider myself an Elder,” Aunty Gwenda said.

“I [just] love the terminology ‘Aunty’.

“We put a lot of time and effort and voluntary hours into capacity and strength building for our community of Gerringong, because it has taken a long time.”

When talking to Aunty Gwenda and Uncle Stan about the projects they are across, it is evident the scope of their influence within communities starts at home.

“That’s the one thing that myself and Stan’s portfolio has always been. We’ve always had an open house 24-7,” Aunty Gwenda said.

“Anyone with an issue or crisis, whether it’s the police, whether it’s hospital, we will always make ourselves available.

“And we speak for the people we’ve had many positive outcomes and there is just so much to talk about, especially with racism, you know, how many times we’ve had to intervene.

“So we do a whole range of things and that is just what we do everyday because we have been doing it for so long now. I has become part of our life.”

Aunty Gwenda and Uncle Stan have been instrumental to building and fostering relationships between the local Indigenous community and the Kiama LGA.

“We have a good relationship with them [Kiama Municipal Council]. I’ve endorsed and established our up and running advisory council,” Aunty Gwenda said.

“We’re very fortunate that we’ve made history and being able to talk direct to councillors and mayors.

“We have first had access and we have a good relationship. But you know what, it takes years and years to build those relationships. And now it’s finally coming to fruition.”

Mayor Cameron McDonald was full of praise for Aunty Gwenda and Uncle Stan being bestowed the honour and their contribution to the Kiama region’s community.

“As Mayor, I’ve had the privilege of working with Aunty Gwenda and Uncle Stan across a range of local government events and initiatives, and they’ve brought an amazing down-to-earth everyday approach to sharing the history, culture, and practices of the Traditional Owners of this amazing place we all call home,” Cr McDonald said.

The ways in which Aunty Gwenda and Uncle Stan share the history, culture and practices begins with young play groups and extends right up to the executive levels of council.

“I’ve just taken the Kiama Council on tour, the executive level team in the chambers and I talked to them about culture and about native title within all of this area,” Aunty Gwenda said.

“We took them on country and they had a better understanding about culture and working with plans and why it’s important to be inclusive of the local traditional owners when talking about any significance of land.”

Cr McDonald extended on his previous statement and provided greater insight on the specifics of Aunty Gwenda and Uncle Stan’s contributions as Elders.

“Happily, thanks to the leadership of Aunty Gwenda and Uncle Stan, and through the Aboriginal Advisory Group, we have a strong vehicle for delivering not just the RAP (Reconciliation Action Plan), but for fostering mutual understanding, acknowledging shared histories, and celebrating the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Kiama,” Cr McDonald said.

The 2025 Local Government Regional NAIDOC Awards recipients are:

Elder of the Year (Aunty): Aunty Gwenda Jarrett

Elder of the Year (Uncle): Uncle Stanley Jarrett

Community Member of the Year: Ray Timbery

Young Achiever of the Year: Kyarlee-Rose Clulow

Young Achiever of the Year: Marle Ashby

Caring for Country and Culture: Betty Smith

Aboriginal Community Volunteer of the Year: Tina McGhie

Organisation of the Year (business): CMJ Food Services

Organisation of the Year (not-for-profit): Juborsay Aboriginal Education Consultive Group

Outstanding Contribution to Reconciliation (Aboriginal): Aunty Lindy Lawler

Outstanding Contribution to Reconciliation (non-Aboriginal): UOW Pulse – Kids’ Uni