By Tanya Faulkner
Burrinja Cultural Centre in Upwey is gearing up the centre for its 25th birthday celebrations, and are encouraging locals and visitors alike to help them prepare.
Burrinja has a long-standing connection with the community of Upwey, dating back to the 1960s when the building was built to host the old Sherbrooke Shire Council.
CEO and creative director Gareth Harte said the community has been behind the cultural centre since the very beginning, and fought for its existence.
“During the amalgamations in the 1990s, the building was deemed unnecessary by the old Sherbrooke Shire Council, and they tried to sell it commercially.
“The community at the time were very opposed, and wanted to have an arts centre – so that happened and gave it the potential to be a thriving cultural hub in Upwey,” they said.
It was in 1998 that Burrinja Cultural Centre came to fruition, which curator and collections manager JD Mittmann was a lengthy process.
“In March 1998 we had the official opening of the arts centre, then in July – when it was the Dandenong Ranges Community Cultural Centre – it became incorporated, and on November 28th and 29th is when it officially became Burrinja,” he said.
Burrinja has stood true to the community over the past 25 years, which Harte said is still their way of operating today.
“There were three aims made clear in the first annual report of 1998, which was to promote, develop and present arts and culture in the region, support and develop the cultural identity of the Dandenong Ranges and provide opportunity for the development of art businesses.
“Funnily enough that’s still exactly what we do today,” they said.
The history of Burrinja tells a tale of friendship and passion in Upwey, by a community that Harte said fought “loud and proud” for the centre.
“Neil and Lin Onus both fought with the community to establish the cultural centre, but Lin died just before the decision was made to do so.
“The name ‘Burrinja’ was gifted by Lin’s family for the centre,” they said.
‘Burrinja’ is said to have been Lin’s Yorta Yorta nickname meaning ‘star’.
Mr Mittmann said the history of Burrinja speaks for the grass root activities we find in the Hills.
“There was clearly a need for an arts centre in the late 90s, and when the building became vacant it was the local community that wanted to set this up.
“Various groups got behind the centre, not just one, and brought in lots of creatives for the centre.
“Going through the archives has been interesting to see how many artists have been connected to Burrinja – some are still around, and some have long passed on.
“It’s a good time to reflect on the creative potential in the Dandenong Ranges,” he said.
Harte said the building, which stands as it is today from a passionately-driven community, has had its quirks through the years.
“It’s quite a retrofitted kind of space, with lots of quirks the staff have had to deal with over the years, like curvy exhibition walls or carpet in the performance spaces,” they said.
Burrinja has seen many changes to both the interior and exterior of the building, which Harte described as being where the old meets the new.
“In 2009 we were awarded funding to build the theatre out the back, and in 2019 – 2020 we got funding to upgrade the north-west wing for our artist studios and galleries.
“It’s really taken 25 years to get our building up to scratch and what it is now,” they said.
Harte said all of the developments have all come in timely fashion, in response to the changes of the Upwey community, allowing them to provide the best services for the trends of the decades.
“As performing arts became more prominent or popular in the late 2000s, that was when the theatre was built.
“Then as the professionalism of artists and dedication of their own practices have developed in the last five years, particularly visual artists, we have been able to respond and create a space to go with the times and create more opportunities for artists of the Hills.
“Burrinja has been able to track the organic nature of the wider community and create a building that facilitates those changes,” they said.
Alongside the unique features that Burrinja boasts in the Hills, the cultural centre maintains a special relationship with both the community and the council.
Harte said their partnership with the Yarra Ranges Council is one mostly unseen in Victoria.
“Our centre is delivered in partnership with the council, but we run independently with our own board.
“It makes for an interesting governance.
“Burrinja maintains autonomy which allows them to be very responsive to community needs and interests, however we deliver outcomes that benefit both parties – it’s very unique compared to other organisations in the state,” they said.
Cultural development producer Toni Main echoed the comments of her colleague, and said it’s something really special.
“Buildings like this are generally connected to their council, but Burrinja is a non-for-profit that is still steaming ahead with a much more unique connection,” she said.
Ms Main said Burrinja is a special entity in Upwey, driving arts and culture in the Hills community alongside its locals.
“Our centre connects to the heart of the community.
“We’re not afraid to be who we are, to sing out loud, and be unapologetic about it.
“You don’t have to agree with everyone, but it’s amazing that we can all come to this space and create together.
Curator, Mr Mittmann, has been uncovering long-lost stories in the archives of Burrinja in previous weeks, and said there is a rich history woven through the centre.
“It is evident that there is such a rich fabric of creatives, of all kinds of colours, shapes and mediums, in the Hills that use Burrinja as a platform, or who have come through and connected with the space.
“To see that kind of rich fabric speaks volumes for what we are doing here.
“It’s a good spirit and encouragement for the work of Burrinja,” he said.
As Burrinja gears up for its 25th birthday celebrations in the coming weeks, their team are calling on locals to get involved and share any memorabilia and stories they have of the centre.
Harte said their team want to take the opportunity to, not just look backwards, but also look forwards.
“If the community has any items, photos, stories or connections with Burrinja, we encourage them to reach out and share it with our team.
“We’ll use it to, not only tell the story of what was, but also what is possibly yet to come in Upwey,” they said.
Ms Main said as part of the celebrations, they are welcoming back an artist from the past to participate in a centre-wide takeover.
“Joyce Willow, who was part of the ‘Deranged’ artist collective back in the day, is creating a gorilla takeover of most of the building.
“She said to me ‘this is how we used to do it, so let’s invite a new age of artists’ to do it like they used to,” she said.
The takeover will be featured around all of the unused space around Burrinja, including blank pillars, under chairs, and in all of the nooks and crannies, to bring back the gorilla activism of what used to be.
Ms Willow has already received 25 applications from artists wanting to participate in the feature.
Alongside the takeover, there will be several features, galleries, and activities hosted at Burrinja to celebrate their long standing history in Upwey with the community.
Mr Mittmann said locals will be able to learn more of the history through stories told in the galleries.
“Our galleries will display the beginnings and the history of the centre, the engagement with the community, the exhibitions and projects over the years, with different documents and mediums.
“We hope to make the history that is sometimes invisible, more visible,” he said.
Ms Main said the local artists will also host an event to showcase their passion for the community, and invite new artists to connect with them.
“Our current artists who are already involved in Burrinja will host an art market, and will have their artwork for sale throughout the celebrations.
“We’re also inviting new artists who are not currently connected with Burrinja to get involved in a takeover exhibition upstairs, and we hope to create new connections in the Hills,” she said.
Harte said the event is all about bringing locals together in celebration of the community’s rich art and culture, sharing stories of old and new, and connecting over local entertainment.
“It’s all happening at the centre for our birthday celebrations.
“We have an orchestra playing a concert outside, the galleries will be open throughout, and we’ll have food and beverages available for the community,” they said.
The official date of Burrinja’s birthday celebrations is Sunday 3 December at the centre.
