The Aboriginal name for the smallest star in the Southern Cross was officially recognised by the International Astronomical Union. Its name, 'Ginan', was passed on by Yidumduma Bill Harney, one of the last initiated elders of the Wardaman people. His survey exhibition, open at the Gallery until 24 February, is a celebration of his life work and reveals the depth of his knowledge through a stunning display of his works. Our Curator, Andre de Borde will begin an exhibition tour at 1pm followed by astronomer and writer Dr Duane Hamacher, who will speak to this crucial event in history and offer us an insight into his work on the recognition of Indigenous astronomy. This exhibition has been curated by Margie West and toured by the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre.

Dr Duane Hamacher is an astronomer and Senior Research Fellow at the Monash University Indigenous Studies Centre, and an Adjunct Fellow in Astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland. He publishes extensively on Indigenous astronomical and geological knowledge and traditions, working with Indigenous elders and knowledge custodians across Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Duane is Secretary of the International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture, a member of the IAU Working Group on Star Names, and serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.