The Only Way Out is Through: A New Home and a New Chapter
Gundungurra & Dharug Country, NSW, 15 September, 2026
As a midwife, I have watched many women reach the point in labour when they realise they cannot go back. They must let go of forces beyond their control, draw close to the people and the place that makes them feel safe and strong, and trust that the only way out is through.
The Djäkamirr project has reached one of those moments.
We are moving through a significant period of transition. It brings opportunity and joy, but also tension, uncertainty and a little discomfort.
We expected this. Projects that grow into organisations must eventually leave behind some of the structures that once held them. Still, knowing that change will come does not always make it easy.
Photo credit: Sarah Ireland. A rainbow in Galiwin'ku.
Leaving our old office
Following a request from the Australian Red Cross, the Charles Darwin University research team and Djäkamirr team recently moved out of the office that had been our base for many years.
The space had become quite cramped. At the same time, working alongside other community organisations created valuable connections with people supporting Yolŋu women and young families. We valued those relationships and felt sad to leave.
That small office held much more than desks, storage boxes, computers and paperwork.
It held planning meetings, difficult but inspiring conversations, mugs of tea and bowls of Weet-Bix, laughter, sometimes noisy children, pregnant women and the everyday work of building something remarkable that had not existed before.
But the change has come at the right time. It gave us the push we needed to create something new: a Co-op wäŋa - a home for the Djäkamirr and the women they support.
A home, not just an office
The Co-op has now moved into a centrally located three-bedroom cottage with a shady yard and outdoor veranda.
Photo credit: Sh'ana Constable. Inside the Co-op wäŋa during a recent Gummur'dhangiynamirr Advisory Group meeting.
It already feels so different.
Djäkamirr can gather, work, rest and support one another there. Pregnant women can sit somewhere calm, share a cup of tea and talk without feeling hurried. The house gives us space for the ordinary human interactions through which trust and care grow.
This matters because Djäkamirr care does not fit neatly within the walls of a conventional office.
Djäkamirr build relationships over time. They listen, accompany, translate, advocate and help women navigate pregnancy, birth and the health system. Their care sits within family, culture, Country and Yolŋu relationships.
The new wäŋa gives these ways of working more room to breathe.
A home will not solve every problem. We still have much to organise, repair and build. But it gives the Co-op a stronger foundation and a place that reflects the warmth, flexibility and relational nature of Djäkamirr care.
Growing the organisation around the Yolŋu vision
While the Djäkamirr project settles it's new home, we are also building the organisation around it.
The Co-op is moving from a powerful community aspiration and successful research project into a sustainable Yolŋu-governed organisation. Passion, persistence and relationships brought us this far. They remain essential but passion cannot carry the mounting administrative load alone!!
Strong organisations also need sound governance, reliable systems, careful administration and people who can turn ideas into practical action without losing sight of why the work matters.
Photo credit: Djäkamirr Coop Logo
The Djäkamirr Co-op is now looking for talented, committed and passionate people to help us through this next stage.
The Co-op is recruiting:
An Executive Assistant who can bring order to busy days and provide practical support with governance records, calendars, logistics, supplies and executive administration.
A Senior Administration Manager who can strengthen governance, grants, risk, records and digital systems while keeping Yolŋu authority at the centre of the organisation.
Both positions offer remote, work-from-home arrangements, but the work remains firmly connected to the women, families and relationships at the heart of Galiwin’ku.
These are not roles for people who need to inherit a finished organisation. We need resourceful people who can work with ambiguity, make complexity understandable and build systems that people can actually use.
We need people who can hold high standards without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy. People who respect Yolŋu authority and understand that systems should serve people and not the other way around.
Above all, we want people who care.
Leaning into what comes next
Transitions rarely unfold neatly. They interrupt the best made plans, expose tensions and ask us to release what has become familiar.
They also create beautiful spaces for something stronger to emerge.
The new wäŋa and the growing team form part of the same transition. Both move the Co-op closer to becoming the strong, sustainable and culturally grounded organisation that Yolŋu women have imagined.
We cannot control every part of this process. We do not yet know exactly what the organisation will look like on the other side. But we know our purpose. We trust the women leading the way. We draw strength from the people, relationships and places that make us feel safe and strong.
So, as the seasons change, we lean into the transition and keep moving through.
If this work speaks to you, or you know someone with the skills, humility and courage to join the project, please read and share the job advertisements.
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