Galambany

‘Galambany’ – meaning (We, Including You) is a Ngunnawal word signifying respect, and reflecting the values of peace, reconciliation and belonging.

The sculpture is a gift from the Sai Family, dedicated on 21 July 2022. The art installation, designed by Terrance Plowright, expresses the values of truth, right conduct, love, peace and non-violence.

The Main Structure
The sculpture required 12 month’s of work and is 6 metres high x 5 metres wide and is made from steel. Galambany consists of four main figures that sit within a small labyrinth. The installation combines the sound of gently ringing Tibetan Bells (activated when you walk into the outer ring), meant to symbolise a place of quiet. It is meant to be a place to ponder and to contemplate.

The Base
The design at the base of the installation was created by the artist, Shane Mankitya Cook. It reflects the Indigenous heritage of the land. While the upper section of the sculpture is meant to represent the waterways and beaches the base of the sculpture represents the land and country. The line work in the middle represents the connection that First People have to country and the knowledge that guides its care.

‘Galambany’ is twinned with the sculpture, ‘One’, at the University of Canberra, symbolic of the friendship between the School and the University.

The Benefactor
Born in Sri Lanka, and educated in Asia and Europe, Dr Naren Chellappah has travelled widely, teaching and practising dentistry in London and Singapore before settling here in Canberra, where he has raised his family.

In 2011, Dr Chellappah was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia for his international volunteer work in dental surgery and education in developing countries, which is but one branch of his lifelong commitment to giving in service.

In addition to his work around the world in education dental surgery, he has also made a deep commitment to the endowment of an Indigenous Scholarship at the University of Canberra as an extension of his ongoing commitment to education.

Speaking of ‘Galambany’ Dr Chellappah said ‘Our hope with the project is to create an object of contemplation, a place to be alone with one’s thoughts, a place where workshops and seminars can be conducted, perhaps it may enable one to think about transcending the egotistic concept of ‘I’ to an inclusive vision of ‘We’’