Desert Pea Media

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Desert Pea Media

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The Yarn Connects Us. www.desertpeamedia.com

Desert Pea Media is a registered charity organization, established in 2003.

Amplifying community voices through collaborative storytelling - through cultural celebration, we create opportunities for real connection, positive personal change and social impact. For over a decade we have been learning, building relationships and perfecting a process of working with young people and communities in regional and remote areas in Australia. DPM focuses on the process of storytelling to empower young people and to create important social and cultural dialogue. Our programs create high quality and relevant media forms – and therefore create REAL engagement with young people. We work with elders, young people, community leaders and local service providers to support and inform the conversation, and create meaningful cultural dialogue around local cultural and social issues.

29/10/2026

Written, recorded and filmed in 5 days, as part of an ongoing Desert Pea Media initiative in collaboration with the amazing local artists and community members. This video is an outcome of the second DPM project in Maningrida during 2014, and was made possible through a partnership between Desert Pea Media, Malabam Health, The Wiwa Project and Maningrida Greats Youth Service. The Maningrida community is home to many language groups and clans from around Arnhem Land - one of the last remaining cultural strongholds for Indigenous Australians.

This song features over 30 performers of all ages and aims to create dialogue around local social and cultural issues such as kinship, healthy relationships, sexual health, cultural celebration and respect for women and all people in Maningrida. The transference of knowledge and wisdom from elders to youth is at the core of this project. All lyric writing was done in a collaborative process between strong community leaders, old and young, sharing and discussing these important values and lessons.

This project is particularly significant to the DPM team, and to the Maningrida Community, as it involved and features two incredible women (Ngalwamud) A.D.P Eather and her mother Kikka (Ngalburlanj) H.D.Williams, who are sadly no longer with us.

We remember A.D.P Eather as the beautiful, wise amazing creative, educator, community leader and peace keeper - a funny, high energy, authentically unapologetic trailblazing warrior woman from the Wúrnal clan. Both environmentalists, compassionate about caring for country and future of our communities and our collective mob - they both had the most beautiful hearts . Their ripples of words and wisdom and caring ways are remembered by many across our nations from many backgrounds. Both loved and valued knowledge, education, sharing and learnings and teaching - onwards for self determination

Ngalwamud Noni Eather (sister and daughter) honours them and their beautiful ways, stories and messages every day, and through her work - via creative processes, expressions, shared learning and collective care, untangling complexities at the challenging intersections from remote community grass roots lived experience.

A special thanks to Noeletta Mckenzie and the Youth Centre staff for hosting the project, Maningrida Education Centre for accommodating us, to Natalie Carey and the Wiwa Project for her support and commitment, and to Victor Rostron for his ongoing guidance and direction.

Remembering Ngalwamud A.Daiguma Eather - Kunibidji / Kunbarlang 1988-2017 and Ngalburlanj H.Djimbarrwala Williams Wúrnal/ Kunibidji/Kunbarlang 1956-2018

Special mention and acknowledgement of C. Kurrdal from Clan Dankorlo who was featured in the music video and has also passed on.

22/10/2026

Throwback Thursday is back - and we’re going back to Dunghutti Country with ‘Reflections’ a short film from Kempsey, NSW from2022.

Created in collaboration with staff at Melville High School, local Dunghutti Elder - Uncle Bob Smith, community members, cultural leaders and an incredibly talented group of Melville High School Students.

The overall purpose of the project was to facilitate an important, inter-generational conversation about social and emotional well-being for Original Nations young people. Focusing on knowledge, education, cultural identity, wellbeing and connection to country.

The project was funded and co-produced by Melville High School.

Special thanks to all the Dunghutti People, and all of the mob in the region that participated, welcomed us and shared their time, their stories and their country for the creation of this production. We are humbled and grateful for your trust and friendship.

CREDITS Toby Finlayson - Project Director/Film Director/Facilitator/Co-Writer/Co-Producer Roy Weiland - Film Co-Director/Co-Facilitator/Co-Writer/DOP/Editor/Graphics Josh Nicholas - Music Producer/Co-Writer/Co-Facilitator/ Audio Mixing Scott Large - GeneralManager/Co-Producer/Photographer/Graphic Design Sari Mann-Wills - Trainee/Co-Facilitator

STARRING Uncle Bob Smith Students from Melville High School

21/10/2026

The DPM team are in Kempsey NSW (Dunghutti Country) delivering the pilot of Create Resilience Project - a new, culturally grounded social and emotional wellbeing program for Indigenous communities across Australia, developed in collaboration with Wiradjuri Clinical Psychotherapist Tracy Lynch.

In partnership with Durri Medical Service and Melville High School - the program brings together DPM’s proven community-led creative workshop methodology and Tracy’s expertise in translating complex therapeutic concepts into accessible, culturally safe frameworks.

Create Resilience builds a shared community language around mental health — equipping participants, families and services with practical wellbeing knowledge that can be understood, shared and applied in everyday life.

16/10/2026

What an amazing week we’ve had on Dunghutti Country in Kempsey NSW., delivering the first EVER Create Resilience Project - a new, culturally grounded social and emotional wellbeing program for Indigenous communities across Australia, developed in collaboration with Wiradjuri Clinical Psychotherapist Tracy Lynch.

In partnership with Durri Medical Service and Melville High School - the program brought together DPM’s proven community-led creative workshop methodology and Tracy’s expertise in translating complex therapeutic concepts into accessible, culturally safe frameworks.

Create Resilience builds a shared community language around mental health — encouraging deeper understanding of emotions, behaviour, stress and resilience, and equipping participants, families and services with practical wellbeing knowledge that can be understood, shared and applied in everyday life.

15/10/2026

Throwback Thursday is back!

DPM crew are in Kempsey this week for Create Resilience so we’re throwing it back to our last Kempsey collab - KMC ‘The Situation’ from 'Break It Down - Community Conversations Around Well-being' in 2020.

Created by Desert Pea Media, and the amazing students and staff at Kempsey Macleay Vocational College ft. local Dunghutti/Gumbaynggirr Elders, young people, local services and community members.

The overall purpose of the project was to facilitate an important, inter-generational conversation about social and emotional well-being for First Nations young people in 6 communities around the North Coast.

Break it down was funded by North Coast Primary Health Network.

LET’S GO!

13/10/2026

Special things are happening on Dunghutti Country in Kempsey NSW.

This week we are delivering the first EVER Create Resilience Project - a new, culturally grounded social and emotional wellbeing program for Indigenous communities across Australia,
developed in collaboration with Wiradjuri Clinical Psychotherapist Tracy Lynch.

In partnership with Durri Medical Service and Melville High School - the program brings together DPM’s proven community-led creative workshop methodology and Tracy’s expertise in translating complex therapeutic concepts into accessible, culturally safe frameworks.

Create Resilience builds a shared community language around mental health — encouraging deeper understanding of emotions, behaviour, stress and resilience, and equipping participants, families and services with practical wellbeing knowledge that can be understood, shared and applied in everyday life.

The Kempsey community is invited to join us at Melville High on Thursday at 11am AND 4.30pm on Thursday 15th October. Come along for a yarn and a feed and be part of the conversation.

13/10/2026

Special things are happening on Dunghutti Country in Kempsey NSW.

This week we are delivering the first EVER Create Resilience Project - a new, culturally grounded social and emotional wellbeing program for Indigenous communities across Australia, developed in collaboration with Wiradjuri Clinical Psychotherapist Tracy Lynch.

In partnership with Durri Medical Service and Melville High School - the program brings together DPM’s proven community-led creative workshop methodology and Tracy’s expertise in translating complex therapeutic concepts into accessible, culturally safe frameworks.

Create Resilience builds a shared community language around mental health — encouraging deeper understanding of emotions, behaviour, stress and resilience, and equipping participants, families and services with practical wellbeing knowledge that can be understood, shared and applied in everyday life.

The Kempsey community is invited to join us at Melville High this Thursday 15th Oct at 9am AND 4.30pm. Come along for a yarn and a feed and be part of the conversation.

12/10/2026

The CROSSROADS: Kuranda (Djabugay Country in Far North Queensland) Final Reports are in and the wrap up continues!

This week we are deep diving into Phase 2 of Program Delivery - CROSSROADS Activities! Let’s Go!

CROSSROADS: Kuranda had a range of strong social and cultural outcomes for the Djabugay community. The projects also produced a series of community media and performance outcomes including 2x original songs and music videos, 1x 20-min documentary, several short films & BTS film productions, hundreds of amazing photographs, awesome community artworks and 1x incredible live event @ Kuranda Amphitheatre - but it was so much more than that.

The CROSSROADS model in Kuranda was designed as a 6-month collaborative, community-led project model that added value to existing services and agencies in Kuranda.

CROSSROADS in Kuranda was a culturally responsive, community-led early intervention initiative delivered through a partnership between Desert Pea Media (DPM), YouthLink Kuranda, DjabugayAboriginal Corporations, local Elders, knowledge holders, creatives and community members.

Thank you to all the Kuranda Bama, our partners and all involved - Desert Pea Media could not be more proud of the work we all created together.

The project was funded by the QLD Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support, with lots of support from Djabugay Aboriginal Corporations and Youthlink Kuranda.

The ‘Bulurru’ showcase event was supported by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. Also supported by NAIDOC funding through NIAA and Qld Government.

We are currently exploring options for the next chapter of this project - stay tuned!

08/10/2026

Throwback Thursday - we're back! This week we're revisiting one of our first documentary projects in Kuranda back in 2019.

This production called ‘Language’ was created as a collaboration with the Djabugay community of Kuranda, QLD - shot and Directed by DPM filmmaker Mitch O’Hearn.

“It’s life to us, it’s the meaning of life”

Join the Djabugay Elders, Uncles and Djabugay Rangers as they discuss the reclamation of Language and connection to Country after it was outlawed - part of the history of many Original Nations People across Australia.

It’s important that we know our history and our context so that we might understand our situation, and make positive changes for future generations.

Created as part of the 'Break It Down - Community Conversations Around Wellbeing' initiative - funded by Northern Queensland Primary Health Network.

Address

Kuranda, QLD
4881

Website

http://www.desertpeamedia.com/

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