Hey, you've found our page!

This is where you can find all the information about the Upper Murray Youth Working Group (UMYWG), check out what we're up to, and what's planned for the future.

We'd love for you to hit that + follow button up top as this will keep you informed when youth events, activities, groups, or meetings are happening - and it's the quickest way to to become a member!

Please explore the site and interact where you can! This is an evolving space so hopefully you'll notice new things popping up here and there as we settle into our new online presence.

If you're a member of the UMYWG it's great to see you here. This is our site and that means we want to make it work for us, so if you have ideas to improve or add to the page, don't hesitate to get in touch!

-Peace out groovers

You may be wondering why the UMYWG logo is a chicken head... well here's the tale that crept its way into all our hearts.

As the red glow in the sky got brighter, and the hot flames started creeping over Mt Mittamatite, it soon became clear that the bushfire wouldn't be going away. Local residents were forced to decide whether they should stay or go; to help protect their community, or get to safety while there was still the opportunity to do so.

People with animals were also faced with the impossible decision to either take or leave them to fend for themselves. In most cases people managed to bring their cats or dogs with them, however in a rural town there's always more animals than this, and it was people's backyard chooks who pulled the short straw in the end.

Our tale in particular focusses on a small chook shed on the outskirts of town, home to about 5 hens. There were no true witnesses to this next part of the story, yet the miraculousness has no other explaination. By this time the fire had blazed through the paddocks that separate Corryong and the mountain, and soon was licking the sides of the chicken house. It would seem that all was surely lost for the poor girls who were currently trapped inside, yet as the flames raged from every angle, their plastic water barrel suddenly gave way - flooding the pen and extinguishing the blaze! The chickens were discovered shortly after covered in ash, charcoal and smoke, but alive.

Chickens aren't often used as a symbol of resilience or survival, generally because the term has become associated with being scared or unwilling to try things. But after hearing this story at one of the first UMYWG meetings, the group decided to embrace the chicken head logo with full force, as it seemed to represent us more than any traditional symbol of survival ever could.

As for 'high def', well that's another story... (let me give you a hint; it's better than 'low res')

And a big thank you to Hannigan our local artist for designing and refining our logo!