The River Restores Us @ Graf Park, Yagoona

Slow down, take a seat and join us on Saturday 17 October 9:30am - 11:30am at the source of the Cooks River in Graf Park, Yagoona. Through gentle guided exercises in playful looking, listening, and drawing, we'll practise anchoring: discovering a felt sense of connection with ourselves, with each other, and with the waters that move beneath and around us. There will be time to talk and share, and a space for those who would simply like to “sit quietly, doing nothing.” This is the first of five Saturday gatherings that will follow the river from source to mouth, ending at Kyeemagh in late November. Together we'll reflect on our relationship to the river and on how we might care for it as it cares for us. Comfortable clothing, hats, sunscreen, and water essential; a spirit of curiosity, openness, and a willingness to be playful, strongly recommended. Meet at park entrance on George St opposite The Boulevarde at 9:20am. Presented by UNSW Sydney's Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture in association with the Cooks River Alliance. Anchoring Guides Michael Garbutt PhD teaches experience design at UNSW Sydney’s School of Art & Design and is a member of the Big Anxiety Research Centre. His work explores anchoring, the felt sense of safety and connection that frees us to rediscover wonder in the world around us. He is lead author of Mindful Eye, Playful Eye: 101 Amazing Museum Activities for Discovery, Connection and Insight (Smithsonian Books, Washington DC, 2024). Chloe Cassidy PhD teaches design at UNSW's School of Art & Design, where she convenes the core course Design and Empathy. Her doctoral research, Pathway to Reverie, develops trauma-integrated approaches to design. She is author of “Healing, Reverie and Somaesthetic Anchors” (Journal of Somaesthetics, 2021). We acknowledge that the waters of the river now called the Cooks River are Aboriginal waters, flowing through the unceded lands of their Traditional Custodians, the Wangal, Gadigal and Gameygal peoples of the Eora Nation. We also acknowledge other Aboriginal people who have made their homes along the river, and pay our respects to Elders past and present.