City of Cockburn - Wetlands to Waves

The City of Cockburn has a history of commitment to the cultural life of the local community. This commitment is expressed in its vision and mission statements, and reinforced by the formalisation of a Cultural Action Plan.

The City of Cockburn is alive with cultural activity, which enriches the lives of its residents, and attracts visitors annually to the area. The area is endowed with great natural beauty and a rich cultural history stretching back to thousands of years of Aboriginal occupation.

The City of Cockburn has an incredibly diverse demographic, and throughout its history and development it has seen the gathering of a very different mix of cultures settling in the area.

The City of Cockburn's Cultural Development Coordinator's role is to encourage and develop opportunities through cultural & arts activity that cater for this richness and diverseness in our community.
 
The City runs a number of programmes and projects to capture the cultural diversity of our City.

The City also allows for Cultural development through its Cultural grants and its Youth Art Scholarships programme.

A common view of culture is that culture is comprised of art, music, theatre and literature.  Many people when asked, "what is Culture" will refer to  'high culture' practices; such as opera, ballet and symphony which are accessed only by a select group of people.

Others may refer to popular or mass culture, or even youth culture.

Culture is also defined in terms of ethnicity and cultural practices arising from an ethnic background.

Culture is related to history and traditions. Traditions are those beliefs and activities, which have been valued and passed down through generations.

Much of our historical knowledge relates to the local environment, our interactions with the environment and our impact upon it. Thus we hear people talk about the beach culture, farming culture and even 'cafe culture'.