REFLECTIONS - event wrap by Mary Ellen Hudson
Cobar NSW on Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan Country, 17-19 September 2026.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Belinda Dimarzio-Bryan with additional images by Noel Thomson, James Tedman, Mary Ellen hudson and Ian Sercombe
Delegates at Fort Bourke Hill Lookout. Photo: Ian Sercombe
The journey to the historic copper mining town of Cobar was a spectacular experience in its own right. Travelling from Gundungurra country in New South Wales, the landscape dramatically shifted into vibrant, deep yellow fields of canola, edged by the striking purple of Paterson’s curse - all set against an endless, cloudless, deep blue sky and deepening rich red soil.
Throughout the town of Cobar, the beauty of the local heritage buildings stood out, especially those elevated by respectful, modern architectural interventions.
The visit to the Sound Chapel by Glenn Murcutt and composer Georges Lentz was a highlight with its still, meditative quality, use of raw materials and simple interventions within the silo, framed against the rich backdrop of the rolling, scrubby landscape.
This backdrop set the stage for the Regional Architecture Association event, which brought together a broad spectrum of speakers from all areas of the industry. Discussions spanned varied aspects of the architectural profession - from procurement and advocacy to deep community engagement, interspersed with technical talks from industry leaders.
Jonathan Temple. Photo: Belinda Dimarzio-Bryan
Jonathan Temple of Dunn Hillam Architects took us through their approach to the work on the Cobar Museum, Youth Centre, Ward Oval and the Early Learning Centre. He
discussed the importance of gleaning what is important to the community and the need to test the brief and develop the design through collaboration not imposition.
Melissa Hollis. Photo: Belinda Dimarzio-Bryan
Melissa Hollis from the Architects Registration Board reflected on her own journey through the Architectural profession and what brought her to work for the ARB and how the ARB works to bring visibility to the profession and cultivate partnerships.
Paulo Macchia. Photo: Belinda Dimarzio-Bryan
Paulo Macchia discussed the research he undertook with his Byera Hadley scholarships - looking into the smart procurement process involving 8 case studies throughout Australia. This research led him to reflect on his own pathways, processes of design and methods of procurement.
Chris Ball. Photo: Belinda Dimarzio-Bryan
Chris Ball from Ottetto and Living Canvas explained their process of panellising hemp and their development of hemp panels for walls, floors and ceilings. He discussed the environmental benefits, not only of the product itself, but in the prefabrication of components and the ability to fast-track construction methodology.
Thomas Jager. Photo: Belinda Dimarzio-Bryan
The final speaker of the day was 2026 Architects Medallion Winner and University of Newcastle graduate, Thomas Jager. Thomas discussed his trips to Mparntwe (and his experience of grounding in Country, learning about traditional materials and technology and developing a new understanding of the ideology of home. He discussed his shift to looking At Architecture as framework not object.
Central to the dialogue was the importance of trust in all relationships. The event explored how, once trust has been built, contemporary architecture can deeply respect and integrate local knowledge to support long term community longevity.
The REFLECTIONS event allowed time to not only look at the Architecture, but to consider the diverse journeys we take as Architects to arrive at our positions in the industry.
Photo: Belinda Dimarzio-Bryan
A special RAA thanks to the Technical Experts on hand during the event: Troy Creighton from Stormtech and James Deters from Credwell. RAA would like to thank them for their commitment to design in the regions.
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