A new art studio and Vocational Education and Training standard kitchen have been unveiled at Kimberwalli, the western Sydney Aboriginal Centre for Excellence, located on the traditional lands of the Darug people.

The new, state-of-the-art equipment will help increase training opportunities and support cultural knowledge, while meeting community demand for culturally inclusive, accessible and safe facilities to further engage in education and skills training.

The art studio and VET kitchen spaces will also allow Kimberwalli to expand on the programs it offers, including training opportunities in hospitality and art lessons to support connection to culture.

Students from St Clair High School, Chifley College and Erskine Park High School joined Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Prue Car and NSW Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar for the official opening, and were among the first to utilise the facilities with a cooking lesson and art workshop showing off the new spaces.

Mr Dizdar said the new facilities would support Aboriginal students in western Sydney.

“Kimberwalli does incredible work for so many students and the community as a whole, and I’m thrilled the new kitchen and art studio will assist them to do even more to support the community,” he said.

“We are so proud of Kimberwalli and the amazing work it does. The opportunity for students and community members to engage in training in a state-of-the-art kitchen facility and partake in artwork to help connect to culture is invaluable, and I look forward to seeing the students who attend Kimberwalli continue to thrive.”

Kimberwalli Director Kelly Stanford said the addition of a kitchen and dedicated art studio would help her team continue to provide a culturally safe space for students and community members to develop skills and connect to culture.

“Being able to provide more opportunities for our community is amazing, and I can’t wait to see the work that comes out of our new kitchen and art studio,” she said.

Kimberwalli supports more than 260 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in programs including contemporary cultural arts, cultural dance, wellbeing and life skills.

The centre, part of the NSW Department of Education, supports an area where more than 24,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reside, including 6000 students enrolled in schools across western Sydney.

Read more about the programs on offer at Kimberwalli here.