KYEEWA Bushwalkers celebrated its 25th anniversary on Wednesday, 7 September 2022 with 70 people attending a luncheon at the Bellingen Showground.

When first formed, Kyeewa Bushwalkers became one of two regular bushwalking groups on the Mid North Coast along with the then Ulitara Bushwalkers.

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Kyeewa is not a club but a group of likeminded people who enjoy bushwalking together under an informal structure.

Co-founder of Kyeewa, Jean Hicks, reflected on Kyeewa’s origin.

“Started by a friendship group of retirees, they adopted the name Kyeewa after seeing it in a novel written by a local Bellingen author,” she said.

“The word Kyeewa is believed to refer to an all-powerful mythical entity heralding a new beginning.”

At the luncheon, past and present bushwalkers reflected on the value they have gained from bushwalking; discovering new places, enjoying the beauty of the Mid North Coast and beyond, developing long-term friendships, and the cathartic benefits of walking in, experiencing and photographing the bush and majestic views seen from it.

Kyeewa has gone from providing an initial one to two bushwalks a week on Wednesdays and Sundays to also offering a two to three day campout held most months.

Walks are graded from ‘Easy’ through to ‘Hard’ to cater for all levels of fitness and experience.

This year the group has walked in the Bellingen, Coffs, Macleay and Nambucca catchment areas and covered a range of environments featuring forests, mountains, creeks, rivers and beaches.

Like most groups, Kyeewa relies on volunteers to plan and lead walks.

While there are over 60 people on the walking list, volunteer leaders are critical to Kyeewa group’s ability to conduct bushwalks.

Kyeewa has also welcomed many people holidaying in the area who have enjoyed seeing more of the Mid North Coast than first meets the eye.

By Andrea FERRARI