NUNKUWARRIN YUNTI OF SA INC

Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia was initiated in the 1960s by the late Mrs Gladys Elphick, who founded the Council of Aboriginal Women of SA, one of the first Aboriginal organisations in South Australia. First incorporated in 1971, Nunkuwarrin Yunti has evolved from the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the Aboriginal Community Centre of South Australia, and the Aboriginal Community Recreation and Health Services Centre of South Australia. Our first health programme was established with the aid of donations, a small amount of government funding and the services of an empathetic and dedicated doctor. We became known as Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia Inc. in 1994, and in 1998 were named NAIDOC Organisation of the Year in South Australia. The organisation is community controlled - governed by an all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board. 'Community control' underpins the delivery of culturally appropriate services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Nunkuwarrin Yunti has grown from a welfare agency with three employees to a multi-faceted organisation with over 100 staff who delivers a diverse range of health care and community support services and is a registered training organisation. Our name was adopted from the dialects of the two largest clans in the southern region - Ngarrindjeri and Narungga to represent the community, the services and the spirit in which they are provided. Nunkuwarrin Yunti means 'Working Together – Doing Right Together' and proclaims our belief of one community sharing a united vision for the future. This simple belief has seen Nunkuwarrin Yunti at the forefront of initiatives to improve the health, life expectancy and lifestyle prospects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We work with the community, our staff and other organisations to improve and expand our service delivery.