Albury Mayor Kevin Mack with Wiradjuri/Taungurung/Yorta Yorta artist Glennys Briggs and Albury council’s team leader for cultural activation Karyn Ford at the official unveiling of the new artwork at Albury Airport. Photo: Minerva Taylor.
Arrivals to Albury Airport will now be greeted by an expansive artwork recognising the traditional custodians of the land and sacred connection to Wiradjuri Country.
Featuring an illuminated goanna (Gugaa, the Wiradjuri totem), the striking piece is set against a background inspired by ancient carved tree markings that hold important cultural significance to the region, its people and history.
Created by renowned Wiradjuri, Taungurung and Yorta Yorta artist Glennys Briggs, GUGAA was officially unveiled at Albury Airport on 18 September, with the wording: ‘Gawaymbanha – Welcome, Albury Airport is on Wiradjuri Country’.
For Briggs, the work is both a personal and cultural tribute.
“I’m proud that we can welcome people onto Country in this way,” she said.
“The language and totem of Wiradjuri people are not things many would know coming into Albury. But I hope the Wiradjuri people and shared community are also proud of this and that it’s a part of place for them.
“I hope when people see it, they pause, think about where they are arriving and feel inspired to learn more about this beautiful Country.”
The visual artist, who works across many media, believes incorporating modern materials with traditional cultural symbolism helps bring to life the deep history of the land, its language and stories.
Wording for the artwork was developed in consultation with Wiradjuri elder Aunty Edna Stewart with the project forming part of AlburyCity Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan, according to team leader cultural activation Karyn Ford.
“We wanted an immersive experience for people as they walked through the airport on arrival to Albury,” Ms Ford said. “The welcome is so vibrant with the background inspired by sacred carved tree markings – it stops you in your tracks.”
Albury Mayor Kevin Mack said the artwork not only enriched the airport precinct but provided a lasting cultural marker that “reminds us of the deep history of this land”.
The large-scale artwork is complemented by the Our Voices short film series, also on display in the airport’s arrivals area.
The three films share stories of Wiradjuri strength, exploring themes of cultural resilience, language revival, intergenerational knowledge and connection to Country.
The first film follows Aunty Edna’s journey of rediscovering and reclaiming Wiradjuri language and “captures the emotional impact of reconnecting with a language that was once suppressed”.
In the second film Uncle Tunny (Ken) Murray shares his experiences of growing up on Warangesda Mission, providing a “personal window into the challenges faced by many First Nations people who lived through government policies that sought to erase culture”.
In the third film, Aunty Ruth Davys and Uncle Darren Wighton talk about their spiritual and physical relationship with Country. Of how Country is not just a place, “but a living presence that teaches, heals and sustains”.
