Yurruungga (yur-roong-gah)
About Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation
Connecting culture, community, and Country on Gumbaynggirr lands. We walk together, caring for the oldest continuous culture on Earth.
Our Story
Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation was born from a simple truth: our community is strongest when we walk together. Founded by Gumbaynggirr people, for Gumbaynggirr people, we carry forward the wisdom of our Elders while creating pathways for future generations.
Our name, Yurruungga, speaks to the heart of who we are. On this Country—the Gumbaynggirr lands stretching from the Nambucca River to the Clarence, from the Great Dividing Range to the sea—we work to strengthen culture, support community, and care for Country.
Through cultural services, land management, and community programs, we blend the oldest continuous culture on Earth with contemporary ways of doing business. We believe that when you support Indigenous-led organisations, you’re investing in communities that have cared for this land for over 65,000 years.
Our Mission
To empower the Gumbaynggirr community through cultural preservation, land stewardship, and sustainable programs that honour our ancestors while creating opportunities for our children and their children. We walk two worlds—holding tight to our culture while building bridges that benefit all Australians.
We strive to blend the oldest continuous culture on Earth with contemporary ways of doing business. Our work is about more than services—it’s about keeping culture strong, supporting our mob, and showing Australia what Indigenous-led excellence looks like.
Our Journey
From 2023 to today, the work we've done on Gumbaynggirr Country.
Cultural Foundations
YAC emerged from Gumbaynggirr cultural governance, guided by Elders, Lore Holders and Cultural Practitioners, with a strong focus on protecting cultural knowledge and strengthening community wellbeing.
Establishes the foundation of Traditional Custodianship, ensuring all work is grounded in ancestral law, cultural authority and responsibility to Country and community.
Formal Incorporation
Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation was officially registered under the CATSI Act, establishing its legal governance structure, rule book and membership framework.
Represents formal recognition of a culturally governed organisation, enabling self-determination and independent decision-making by Traditional Custodians
Early Establishment
Development of core services, including cultural ceremonies, knowledge sharing, and community engagement, positioning YAC as a Cultural Health Authority in the Bellinger Valley.
Reinforces cultural practice as a living system, strengthening identity, intergenerational knowledge transfer, and connection to Country.
Governance Consolidation
The Annual General Meeting held in November 2024 formalised governance processes, including reporting, financial accountability and board leadership structures.
Embeds cultural leadership within formal governance, ensuring decisions reflect both cultural authority and organisational accountability.
Operational Formalisation
Establishment of key organisational systems including insurance, service rates, and formal service agreements to support professional delivery.
Protects and values cultural knowledge as professional practice, strengthening integrity, sustainability and respect for cultural work.
Program Growth & Delivery
Expansion into cultural land management, cultural burning, environmental restoration, and knowledge sharing programs delivered with partners and community.
Revitalises traditional practices on Country, supporting cultural renewal, ecological healing and strengthening community connection.
Strategic Planning & IPA Alignment
Strategic planning workshop undertaken to define organisational direction and align YAC with the Bellinger Valley Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).
Positions Traditional Custodians at the centre of land management, reinforcing sovereignty, stewardship and long-term cultural governance of Country.
Capability & Systems Development
Engagements with partners to strengthen governance, business processes, digital capability and environmental partnerships.
Builds long-term organisational strength, ensuring future generations can continue to protect, manage and lead on Country.
Our Team
Meet the people working to strengthen culture, support community, and care for Country.
Dean Kelly
Chief Executive Officer
Dean Thomas Kelly is a proud Gumbaynggirr custodian and descendant of the Budaabang clan and serves as Chief Executive Officer of Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation and Coordinator of the Bellinger Valley Indigenous Protected Area. As CEO, he leads a collective of Traditional Custodians delivering creative and technical leadership in cultural regeneration, environmental projects and caring for Budaabang Gumbaynggirr Wajaarr across the Bellingen Valley. Raised on his family’s farm at Yellow Rock by Elders Richard and Lillian Kelly and great uncles Tom and Raymond Kelly, Dean’s work is grounded in the teachings of his Old People and a deep sense of custodial responsibility. He is widely recognised as a cultural educator and advocate for First Nations-led land management, guiding initiatives such as the Bellinger Valley Indigenous Protected Area consultations and community engagement to empower Gumbaynggirr stewardship of Country.
Brentyn Lugnan
Chief Operating Officer
Brentyn Lugnan is a proud Gumbaynggirr man from Urunga on the NSW Mid North Coast and serves as Chief Operations Officer of Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation, helping lead day-to-day delivery of Yurruungga’s cultural, environmental and community programs on Budaabang Gumbaynggirr Wajaarr. An experienced artist and designer, he brings more than three decades of creative practice to his role, weaving Gumbaynggirr story, design and identity into projects ranging from local public art and landscape design to regional partnerships and on-Country initiatives. As COO, Brentyn focuses on turning Yurruungga’s vision into practical outcomes supporting staff and partners, strengthening operations and ensuring that every project reflects the values, authority and aspirations of Gumbaynggirr people.
Mathew Flanders
IPA Project Manager
Mathew (Matt) Flanders is the Project Manager for the Bellinger Valley Indigenous Protected Area at Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation, drawing on his experience as a Cultural Heritage Officer working to protect rainforest Country and Gumbaynggirr cultural sites along the Bellinger. In this role he coordinates on-ground projects, community engagement and partnerships that strengthen biodiversity, safeguard cultural heritage and support Gumbaynggirr-led management of Budaabang Gumbaynggirr Wajaarr.
Our Impact
Delivering real outcomes for Gumbaynggirr Country and community
Our Partners
Working together with trusted organisations across government, corporate, and community sectors
Partner With Us
We welcome partnerships that support our mission of caring for Gumbaynggirr Country and community. Whether you're a government agency, corporate organisation, or professional seeking to make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.
Join organisations who support Gumbaynggirr culture