YALLARWAH Place has been a source of comfort for thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and their families in uncertain times.
On Tuesday, it celebrated its 25th anniversary as a vital community hub for Indigenous people who have to travel to John Hunter Hospital for medical care.
Restoration work is under way on the Yallarwah Place site, designed to ensure continued support for patients, their families and the community for years to come.
Hunter New England Health (HNEH) chief executive Tracey McCosker said the facility is sensitive to the cultural needs of guests.
"I think we know that often Aboriginal families have to travel to John Hunter Hospital, this is a place that makes them feel at home and connected to community which is better than trying to find a motel down the road," she said.
"They have supports here that are culturally sensitive but also they're close, often there's children in the children's hospital and they get to live here and maintain a bit of normalcy while visiting their relatives.
"It's more about finding a home away from home, as we call it for them, but set up by Aboriginal people, monitored and run by Aboriginal people and connecting with community, that's really what it's about, a safe place."
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said Yallarwah Place is somewhere that people who are often at their lowest and struggling can come for solace and be with their loved ones who are unwell.
"This was great foresight from all of those people from a quarter of a century ago, 25 years ago, to build this facility and have a memorial walk so we can always be in a place and be connected to country," she said.
"The government has assisted with the funding, I feel really privileged to be the minister here 25 years down the track, it was a Labor government who started this project - we'll see it through."
The site includes Uncle Bob's accommodation centre, named after Aboriginal Elder, the late Robert Smith, as well as the Bicentenary Memorial Walk and Circle of Reflection.
At the celebration, supporters came together to see the revitalised walk and the accommodation centre, which will soon be restored.
Opened in 1999, the hub was established by the creator and publisher of Novocastrian Tales, Paul F. Walsh OAM and Susan Harvey, as well as University of Newcastle Wollotuka Institute deputy head Dr Raymond Kelly, whose reconciliation advocacy has had a lasting impact on the community.
Yallarwah Place features one of the earliest combined memorials for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the country, and the name means 'resting place' in Awabakal language.
HNEH infrastructure, planning and sustainability director Dr Ramsey Awad said the district works in collaboration with Local Aboriginal Land Councils to ensure cultural protocols are followed, making sure country is respected throughout the design process.
"We implement Design with Country frameworks across all of our infrastructure activities, establishing shared decision-making, embedding cultural knowledge and ensuring that safety and respect are paramount throughout each stage of a project," he said.
