Prior to the work starting, a smoking ceremony was held in the back courtyard of the building to cleanse it before the work commences. The ceremony, conducted by Wurundjeri man Shane Garvey, was attended by Ward Councillor Beti Jay, local State MP Nina Taylor, and local Federal MP Josh Burns, alongside ANAM’s architects and builders teams.
ANAM Managing Director Nick Bailey told TWiSK that the smoking ceremony was a particularly powerful moment in the project’s long gestation.
“We have been working closely with Wurundjeri Aunties on the development of our project. Initially, they were – understandably – uncomfortable with some of the building’s history, having been home to a courthouse, police station, and police lockup in its colorful history.
“However, the Aunties are delighted that ANAM is returning young people and music to the site, and are thrilled that their input to Peter Elliott’s design process is clearly resonating.”
He provided TWiSK readers with some recent renders from the office of our architect Peter Elliott, showing how the building will look.
