dream for a goori renaissance
Bulagan Ltd is an Aboriginal-owned not-for-profit dedicated to Gumbaynggirr language revitalisation, cultural knowledge transmission, and community-led development across language, music and art.
Founded by Birrugan Dunn-Velasco, Bulagan is built upon years of grassroots experience, community engagement, and strategic vision to develop language and culture as living, contemporary systems, and to grow sustainable opportunities for our people in the Nambucca Valley and beyond.
We operate as a culturally grounded, community-driven organisation committed to ensuring our languages, arts and cultural practices are not only preserved, but actively lived, taught, created, performed and passed on, while creating real pathways for young Gumbaynggirr people.
“I hope that Bulagan can be a possible future for our young people to inherit, carry and pass on to the next generations after them in a sustainable and dynamic manner.
I hope for a future where the concept of language revitalisation is obsolete, where we no longer need language centres, linguists, dictionaries or word lists. I dream for a Goori renaissance; art, music, culture, philosophy - every aspect of our society exists as an extension of our nationhood and is our languages made manifest.”
CEO and Founder, Birrugan Dunn-Velasco
Who We Are
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A thriving Gumbaynggirr future where language, culture, music and art are lived, practised and passed on through strong community systems, local leadership, and intergenerational transmission.
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To strengthen Gumbaynggirr futures through community-led language revitalisation and culturally grounded programs across language, music and art, creating pathways for cultural participation, learning, leadership and employment in the Nambucca Valley.
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Bulagan was born out of the pressing need to secure a long-term, strategic and community-driven approach to Gumbaynggirr language revitalisation and cultural continuity in the Nambucca Valley.
The region faces high levels of youth disengagement and limited local employment pathways. Without meaningful intervention, language and culture risk being disconnected from everyday life, creative practice, and economic sustainability.
Through Birrugan’s long-standing work with BMNAC, Muurrbay, and direct mentorship from Gumbaynggirr cultural leaders, Bulagan emerged as the next step: an independent Aboriginal-led organisation dedicated to embedding language, culture, music and art within community systems, ensuring future generations can live, work, create and thrive in their own cultural frameworks.