About Us

WHO WE ARE

The Wreck Bay Community

The cultural heritage of the Wreck Bay Community is deeply embedded in the surrounding land and waters of Bherwerre Peninsula. The natural and social histories are intertwined and reflects on relationship between Wreck Bay people and the natural environment, from traditional times until the present day.

The lands belonging to the Wreck Bay Community form part of the broader Jervis Bay landscape. The culture, history and heritage of Wreck Bay and its people is closely associated with the culture, history and heritage of the whole Jervis Bay region.

Wreck Bay culture and history did not develop in isolation from the rest of Australia and it has many features in common with other Aboriginal cultures, such as a shared belief system that emphasises family relationships and connections with the land.

Anthropologist Debbie Bird Rose describes the relationship between Aboriginal people and their country as being:

“Intense, intimate, full of responsibilities and when all is well, friendly. It is a kinship Relationship, and like relations among kin, there are obligations of nurturance. People and country take care of each other” (Rose 1996:49).

These shared beliefs are reflected in creation stories such as Biame, which are familiar to all Aboriginal Australians of south-eastern Australia.

WHERE WE ARE

Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community & Jervis Bay Territory

Jervis Bay Territory is made up of 6312 hectares of Booderee National Park, 403 hectares of Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Lands and several other jurisdictions and land tenures that include the Department of Defence facilities at HMAS Creswell, Jervis Bay Range facility and Bherwerre Ridge Communications facility; the Jervis Bay Village and private leases managed by the Territories Division of the Australian Governments – Department of Regional Services, Regional Development and Local Government.

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Wreck Bay Community & The '403' Lands

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Booderee National Park

Current Board

Meet the current board members guiding the Wreck Bay Community with knowledge, care, and strong local connection. Each member plays a vital role in supporting our community’s future and preserving our cultural values.

Craig Ardler

Chairperson

More about Craig

Beverley Ardler

Secretary

More about Beverley

Bev was employed with the ACT Department of Education and has a strong commitment to help our children through education and social and emotional development. She holds a degree in Social and Emotional Development and Wellbeing. She has a passion to help teach our children about their culture and feels that it is vital for the children to have a voice in our community.

Jeffrey McLeod

Board Member

More about Jeffrey

Jeff is a board member who was raised and lived on Wreck Bay all his life. He has worked in Nowra for 10 years. He is passionate about anything regarding Wreck Bay issues.

Erica Ardler

Board Member

More about Erica

Erica Ardler has lived at Wreck Bay for most of her life. She has three children and five grandsons. Her vision is to help council and community to progress by looking to future generations and what they can offer. She hopes that WBACC will one day be able to run Booderee National Park as sole manager. She also wants to see improved health and wellbeing in the community and for youth and elderly to be able to access services without having to leave the community.

Anthony Roberts

Board Member

More about Anthony

Darryn Sturgeon

Deputy Chair

More about Darryn

My main hope for the Wreck Bay Community is to try to insure that the community as a whole shares in the prosperity and the responsibility of every opportunity that’s placed before us for the betterment of our Elders past, present and emerging.

Clive Freeman

Board Member

More about Clive

Loretta Wellington

Board Member

More about Loretta

Sheena Williams

Board Member

More about Sheena

I have a Bachelor of Education in PDHPE and currently work in that area in the school system in Sydney. I want to represent the community with a strong focus on fairness and inclusion for everyone in our community. I believe every person deserves to have a voice, be treated with respect and have the opportunity to contribute to our community. My goal is to support empowerment, transparency and unity to have a cohesive community where people look out for each other, have a say in decisions that affect them and feel heard.

To contact the board, email directly board@wbacc.gov.au

free-photo-of-a-beach-with-a-white-sand-and-blue-water

A SNAP SHOT

The Jervis Bay Region

The Jervis Bay region is on the south coast of New South Wales, approximately 200 kilometres south of Sydney and 25 kilometres southeast on the regional town of Nowra. The Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community village is nestled in the southern part of the Bherwerre Peninsula which forms the southern boundary of Jervis Bay. Jervis Bay is a very distinctive coastal embayment, unique on the south coast. The waters of the bay are protected from the swells coming in from the Tasman Sea by the prominent headlands of Beecroft Peninsula (Bundarwa) to the north and Bherwerre Peninsula (Berri-werri) to the south. Bowen Island, home to populations of little penguins and shearwaters (mutton birds) is situated in the narrow opening between the two headlands. The small size of the catchment and the presence of only one major creek – Currambene Creek – flowing into the bay means the waters are clean and clear. The protected nature of the marine environment and the clarity of the water support a rich diversity of marine life that is found nowhere else on Australia’s eastern seaboard.

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