2011 Dialogues on Country Tour; Connecting Land, Water & Culture

Posted by Katie Blundy to Dialogues on Country, 30th January 2012, 2:55pm

 

On Sunday 16th October 2011, 12 relative strangers set off from Brisbane on a road trip through approximately 18 recognised Aboriginal Lands, across four Australian States, taking 14 days and covering a distant of 4,600km.  The group consisted mainly of engineers but also EWB coordinators, environmental scientists, a computer scientist and even an occupational hygienist. 

The major stops along the way included wind and solar farms, Aboriginal cultural/art centres, Aboriginal Community Organisations, a few local water holes and a second hand clothing store at Broken Hill.  These stops sparked discussion about environmental matters; especially sustainable future energy supplies and responsible water use, and indigenous issues; including reconciliation, land rights and Aboriginal health. 

The landscape changed from seemingly endless sunburnt plains slowly swelling into an oasis of tall river gums and waist high green grass to surround the lifeline of the greater South East corner of Australia, the Murray Darling system.  At first sight, much of Australia’s inland appears lifeless, sparse and without purpose.  However, first impressions can be wrong, which was demonstrated with great humour during our three night stay at Murra Murra Station with Ranger Geoff.  The experience included a catch and release show and tell program of many native animals including lizards and turtles, and the identification of other local edible flora and fauna.   While traditional hunting and gathering methods aren’t as productive as modern European methods, they are sustainable, which makes me wonder how much of Australia’s modern history has been spent fighting the country rather than working with it.

The stopover at Murra Murra included a visit to Kooma Energy Project; a joint venture completed by EWB and Kooma Traditional Owners Association, which consisted of a small solar panel system to power accommodation at a ranger base.  It also helped us understand the context for the upcoming amenities project, where EWB will assist with the installation of two ablution blocks at the football/campground at Murra Murra.

At Lightning Ridge we met up with Uncle Roy Barker and visited the Goondee Aboriginal Keeping Place; a magical and uplifting part of the trip.

Roy, a returned serviceman, engaged the group with his passion, warmth and desire for one Australia.  Roy spoke of his time living on local missions as a boy where he met his wife, serving on foreign soil in the Australian Armed Forces, fighting for equality as a returned serviceman and now working with the Goondee Aboriginal Keeping Place.  Roy has a desire for a one unified reconciled Australia but believes it will take recognition of past wrongs and acceptance of this recognition by all Australians.  On departure, Roy left us with a phrase that still stays with me now, ‘Australia has embraced Aboriginal Culture, but not its people.’

At the mouth of the Murray Darling River System at Camp Coorong we met Uncle Tom Trevorrow, Ngarrindjeri Elder, whose ‘Welcome To Country’ sent a shiver down my spine.  

Tom, like Uncle Roy, talked of his childhood on a local community and also spoke with enthusiasm of a reconciled Australia.  However, the message Tom so eloquently brought home to me was about his own and his people’s connection with country.  Ngarrindjeri people are extremely passionate about the health of the Murray River, the lower lakes and the Coorong because the health of this water system has a direct correlation with their spiritual health and well-being, or as Tom put it, "You don't own the land, you belong to the land, you look after country and it looks after you."  In recent years the Ngarrindjeri have taken action by activating traditional song lines along the Murray Darling with other Aboriginal groups to create the 'River Healing Ceremony' to bring rain, health and awareness to the river.

After the trip, the overwhelming learning for me was the realisation that Australia, still to this day, does not honestly acknowledge the true history of our country.  Lt James Cook declared the Continent of Australia to be terra nullius (no one’s land) and so much of modern Australia is built on this mistaken statement.  Europeans, the first boat people, have brought much to the continent as have all other nationalities that make up the population of this great land, however, the failure to acknowledge the traditional custodians of Australia will make reconciliation impossible.

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