An apical ancestor is your earliest Aboriginal ancestor, from around the time of contact with early settlers, who is from a particular area. Due to colonisation and movement between missions and stations, many of us have apical ancestors from places outside of Southern West Yiradyuri Country.

The apical ancestor confirms your traditional family connection to an area. It is also a requirement for native title to prove who an apical ancestor is and that you are directly related to that person. Proof is usually through documents such as birth and death certificates. 

The Corporation has two member groups. One is for members who are Traditional Owners (aka Common Law Holders), and the other is for kinship members.

To be eligible as a traditional owner you must be:

• at least 18 years old, and
• a Southern West Yiradyuri Person;

A Southern West Yiradyuri Person is defined as Aboriginal persons who:

• are descended by birth through either parent from Aboriginal ancestors identified as being associated with Wiradyuri or Southern West Yiradyuri Country during the early to mid-nineteenth century (no later than 1865) by birth, place of burial and or other connection, such as living on Southern West Yiradyuri Country; and
• have activated inherited rights as Traditional Owners through:
  • self-identifying as a Wiradyuri or Southern West Yiradyuri Person by asserting to be a Wiradyuri or Southern West Yiradyuri Person; and
  • having an active association with an area of Southern West Yiradyuri Country, at minimum demonstrated by showing interest in Wiradyuri or Southern West Yiradyuri business and country; and
• being recognised and accepted by other Wiradyuri or Southern West Yiradyuri traditional owners:
  • as a member of the Wiradyuri or Southern West Yiradyuri; or
  • through demonstrating how a person satisfies paragraphs (a) and (b).
• All membership applications will be reviewed by the Board of Directors and endorsed by the Elders Council if eligibility has been met.

A person is eligible to be a Kinship Member, if the person has no Traditional Owner rights in the corporation’s claim area but is:

• at least 18 years old, and
• an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person that has resided within the Southern West Yiradyuri area for more than one generation or twenty-five years;
• who is known and accepted as being an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person by the community that they belong; and
• who the corporation decides may become a member by making a native title decision.

If you:

• want to be involved in building a better future for our next generations and want to give what you can to achieve that, then the Corporation may be a good fit.
• are a Traditional Owner and want to assert your rights to ensure Country has a strong authoritative voice to protect it for future generations, and ensure that we are able to retain or regain access to our sacred places, then the Corporation may be a good fit.

We have an opportunity to increase the land justice, cultural and bio-cultural, social and economic outcomes for Country, our people and communities.

If you are thinking of becoming a member, it is important that you read and understand the Rule Book, Elders Council Charter and Kinship Committee Charter as they set out the functions, expectations and legal obligations of the Corporation, and your responsibility as a member.

If you are motivated:

• to give what you can today to ensure that Country is protected and future generations have access to, and a voice for, Country;
• to continue practicing culture; and,
• by our people continuing connection to our special places, and carrying on their stories for the next 60,000 years and beyond; and,
  if you are have the required experience to perform the Board’s functions, then being a representative may be right for you; and,

if you are have the required experience to perform the Board’s functions, then being a representative may be right for you.

Wiradyuri lore, law, values and expectations underpins everything that we do and is defined as:

• respecting everything and going slowly
• protecting and caring for Mother Earth
• making culturally informed decisions that will positively benefit future generations
• caring for all things such as, but not limited to, Mother Earth, plants, animals, the environment, land waters and sky, each other and our neighbours, and
• sharing with each other including our neighbours, and not leave people or communities behind.

The Corporation is structured in a way that is closely aligned to Traditional structures of decision making (or governance). It is important to ensure we, Yiradyuri, own our structures and systems as much as possible. The Corporation has three governing groups (Groups) which can’t be removed from the rule book.

The Groups are: a Board of Directors, an Elders Council and a Kinship Committee.

Each group have roles and responsibilities in decision making and play an integral role in ensuring strong Yiradyuri governance that has a balance of power across all decision making.

All decisions are made by consensus, when consensus can’t be reached by the Board or Kinship Committee, the Elders Council will make the decision.

The Elders Council decisions must be reach by consensus.

Consensus is a process that our old people undertook for decisions making. It requires all parties to negotiate an outcome that all parties are happy with and meets the Corporation’s expectations of Wiradyuri, lore law and values and key objectives which are outlined in the Rule Book.

The Elders Council’s primary responsibility is for Keeping Community and Culture to ensure that Wiradyuri lore, law, values and expectations are being met and the ability to take appropriate action, such as suspending a director, when they’re not being met.

Additionally, the Council has the responsibility for:

• nominating attendance of people for cultural engagements.
• reviewing, recommending and endorsing strategic and cultural planning proposals of the directors.

The Board of Directors oversee the running of the Corporation on behalf of all members, make decisions about the affairs of the Corporation, and should always be aware of what the Corporation and its employees are doing. The directors manage, or set the direction for managing, the business of the Corporation.

The Kinship Committee’s primary responsibility is to advise the:

• directors and Elders Council on matters related to performance of the directors and management
• directors on matters related to risk management, including identifying and assessing risks facing the corporation and overseeing the development and review of a risk management plan.
• directors on the establishment of strategic sub-committees required to advance the Kinship Committee’s responsibilities.

The Board of directors has two positions attached to each apical ancestor.

• The positions are gender balanced and provide for one director and one alternate director
• The alternate director is a stand in director for when the director is away.
• All directors are nominated by the Elders council but the family groups of each apical ancestor will decide their representatives

The Elders Council has up to seven representatives with a maximum of five being Traditional Owners (aka common law holders) and a maximum of two being Kinship Elders.

• The Corporation’s members will nominate Elders for appointment to the Elders Council.
• The Kinship Committee will by resolution made by consensus determine which of the nominees to appoint to the Elders Council
• If the Kinship Committee is unable to reach a consensus, the existing members of the Elders Council will by consensus determine which nominees will be appointed to the Elders Council.
• The Elders Council at an Elders Council meeting will elect and appoint Elders Council members to the position of Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and Secretary

The Kinship Committee must have a minimum of three and a maximum of five members who are not Traditional Owners.

• The Elders Council will nominate members for appointment to the Kinship Committee.
• The Board will by resolution made by consensus determine which of the nominees to appoint to the Kinship Committee
• If the Board is unable to reach a consensus, the Elders Council will by consensus determine which nominees will be appointed to the Kinship Committee.

The Kinship Committee at a Kinship Committee meeting will elect and appoint Kinship Committee members to the positions of Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and Secretary.