Showing posts with label first peoples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first peoples. Show all posts

Wednesday 25 January 2023

The Day Before.....


Tomorrow is Thursday, 26th January 2023. As a mark of respect for First Nations communities across Australia North Coast Voices will not be posting that day.




17 Jan 17 2023

First Nations dance theatre Marrugeku have collaborated with Noongar rapper Beni Bjah on an Australian take on Childish Gambino’s provocative 2018 hit This Is America.


This Is Australia is a blistering tirade against First Nations incarceration, deaths in custody and Australia's treatment of asylum seekers. Filmed on the lands of the Bunuba people in Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley, and directed by Marrugeku's artistic directors Dalisa Pigram and Rachael Swain, the video features Marrugeku performers and locals, and is packed with references to Australian history and recent events….

 

Sunday 29 May 2022

National Reconciliation Week 2022 is happening 27 May - 3 June 2022



















The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, “Be Brave. Make Change.” is a challenge to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations and government—to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.


Last year Reconciliation Australia encouraged all Australians to take action; not just in National Reconciliation Week but every week of the year.


We saw unprecedented response to our suggested actions for everyday and for braver action.


This year we are asking everyone to make change beginning with brave actions in their daily lives – where they live, work, play and socialise.


National Reconciliation Week—27 May to 3 June—is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.


Find out more about National Reconciliation Week #NRW2022 #BeBraveMakeChange 


Source: https://nrw.reconciliation.org.au/


Thursday 1 April 2021

The story of a little town in the Clarence Valley and a growing problem

 

There have been people living on this coastal land since time immemorial - fishing, hunting, gathering food and raising families.


In 1799 the first people who did not belong to this little settlement at the mouth of the Clarence River in northern NSW turned up unexpectedly. They didn’t stay more than a day or two and sailed on.


However in the 1800s a lot more people came to the area to cut timber, farm and fish. Many of them stayed.


The little settlement was given a new name taken from the newly re-named river. It was called Clarence Heads.


By then life had become harder for the families who had lived there from time immemorial because the new people kept taking their land and moving them on. But they never went completely away and proudly live there still as valuable members of the community on land they now hold Native Title over.


By 1864 the settlement had been proclaimed a town called Yamba and in the 1930s the one dirt road leading in and out of the little town slowly began to be sealed.


Eventually a bridge and two causeways were built along that long main road, because fingers of the Clarence River had always meandered around and through the land on which the town was built.


In fact if one looks at a map of the Clarence River estuary it is easy to see that only a thin strip of land less two kilometres wide at is narrowest point stops Yamba from becoming an island.


Over the years the town grew and grew until by about 2016 it had spread to where the town limits encompassed 1,692 hectares with a population of almost four people per hectare.


The 2016 Australian national census shows that there were 6,342 men, women & children in Yamba on Census Night, with 6,076 being local residents living in 3,820 dwellings with an average household size of 2.09 persons.


That census also confirmed what had been known for some time, Yamba was a retirement destination and almost 37 per cent of all residents were 65 years of age and older.


The town by then not only had a long-established fishing fleet, two mixed shopping & cafe precincts and a small industrial area, it was also a popular tourist destination with a constant stream of visitors throughout the year culminating in a Christmas rush which sees the town’s population roughly double for the duration of the holiday period.


In 2019 the estimated resident town population was 6,228 men, women and children and, plans were well underway to develop land on the edge of the town limits which would grow the town's total population to 9,476 people aged from babies under 1 year of age to older people aged 85 years and older.


Not all town residents lived in family groups – est. 865 lived alone. Not all had their own transport – est.166 households had no car.


The story so far is typical of many coastal towns in northern New South Wales.


However there is a nasty worm in the middle of a still welcoming Yamba.


Remember the almost-an-island, surrounded by ocean, river, channels and lake, town with only one road leading out to the wider world?


Well that scenario holds the answer to the nature of this nasty worm. Flooding.


Approximately every three years it floods somewhere in the Clarence River catchment area and sometimes that flooding flows all the way down the Clarence River and Yamba gets its feet wet.


Historically, that’s all that usually happens because even through much of Yamba is only around 2-4 metres above sea level, within and just beyond the town limits is 620 hectares of flood storage land which soaks up most of the flood water before it enters the more heavily built-up sections of the town.


Or should I say the town did have a 620ha buffer zone, because right now developers are beginning to fill 127.4ha of that zone to house those 3,250 additional men, women and children who are expected to increase the town’s population to 9,476 souls over the next 25 years or so. 


Yamba is now spread so wide and has so many residents that any change to where flood water can safely flow is bound to have a knock-on effect. Because water has a will of its own and doesn't always follow the dictates of flood modelling.


If readers don't believe me ask NSW Transport - there's at least one cloverleaf interchange not far from here and another new bridge about halfway down the state which are  evidence of human hubris.


Yamba is already a leaky boat in flood events over the 1 in 5 year flood depth.


Its one road in and out gets cut at multiple points even near the centre of town, a number of its smaller streets often have water over the road which is sometimes to a depth that closes them to traffic.


Inundation within the town commences in earnest once floodwaters pass 2.40 metres in depth.


In floods stormwater becomes more than a nuisance when shallow open drains overflow and underground pipes backflow so that water lies over footpaths and enters peoples yards. Another trap for the unwary is that flood water covering Yamba land is often strongly tidal and can sweep a persons feet out from under them even when its less than than a metre deep.


In a 1 in 20 year flood 122 houses are at risk of having water enter part or all of their rooms, in a 1 in 100 year flood that number builds to 1,223 houses and in an extreme flood it is expected that 2,144 of the up to 4,351 houses currently in Yamba will be flooded.


So Yamba already has around 49% of its houses at some degree of risk during a time when reputable scientists, along with federal, state and local government, are telling its residents that climate change is occurring. That this change is likely to alter seasonal weather patterns and see natural disasters such as major floods increase in severity.


To make matters worse, the only really high ground in the town, Yamba Hill, in prolonged rain events combined with strong seas - conditions that are often seen in times of flooding - is destabilised over a large part of the hill and at risk of land slippage. Particularly in parts of the hill where people might congregate as flood water rises elsewhere in the town.


Of course town planners and land developers don’t always look at the bigger picture and in 2021 Yamba finds itself in an uncomfortable position. Land owners - in that 127.4ha of the flood storage area due to be drained and raised in height by approx. 1.8 million tonnes of landfill – are pushing the envelope as to the number of houses they want approved per hectare.


In other words, the future population in what is known as the “West Yamba Land Release Area” will in all likelihood grow beyond the number originally anticipated and, that one road in and out of town I keep mentioning will now be expected to perform emergency evacuation miracles in a major flood event in Yamba.


It has been obvious for some time that the correlation between our town population size, the physical impacts of natural disasters and evacuation requirements is something all levels of government have studiously avoid considering in any depth.


The Yamba Floodplain Risk Management Plan was created in 2009 and is still displayed as current on Clarence Valley Council's website. It contains a wish list of matters to be considered by local government & emergency services but no concrete evacuation plan.


Apart from a small SES leaflet indicating a short evacuation route within the town - running along Yamba Road from its T-intersection with low lying Shores Drive to the relatively low lying Yamba Bowling and Recreation Club - along with instructions to assemble at the bowling club, register and "then stay with friends or relatives" and advice to "act early before roads and evacuation routes close".


There is silence about the logistics of evacuating via at least 3,587 vehicles taking to a narrow two-lane road to get across a bridge and two causeways before Yamba Road closes. There is also silence about where this caravan is to go, given by then much of the Lower Clarence is beginning to flood.


Authorities turn the fact that realistically this town cannot be safely evacuated during natural disasters into the 'virtue' of an ad hoc policy which effectively says that, with the exception of assisted medical evacuations, early self-evacuation by residents is preferred but shelter in place is advisable if water isolates your home.


It’s been many years since local councillors would amusingly talk about “vertical evacuation” in Yamba - meaning residents could climb the stairs to their second storey or climb onto their roofs during a major flood - and about the same amount of time since SES members joked that the only thing they could do for Yamba residents in times of major flooding would be “to take the flood boat out into the middle of the river and toss life jackets to you all as you float out to sea”. 


Times change, or so do they? The year 2021 finds Yamba residents facing the same basic attitude towards their safety and wellbeing. 


Yamba is becoming a trifle nervous about its future and, some are voicing concerns not just about potential property loss but about the more confronting potential for loss of life as the town's population grows.


Sometime towards the end of this month Clarence Valley Council staff are holding a public meeting at the Treelands Drive Community Centre to clarify the progression of development plans for West Yamba.


I have no doubt that council staff too will resist looking at the big picture. Unless local residents go toe-to-toe with them on the need for a population ceiling for Yamba township as a whole and West Yamba in particular. With such a ceiling to be established as a matter of importance and adhered to by way of firm housing density and multiple occupancy residential dwelling limits.



Principal sources:

Clarence Valley Council documents

Port of Yamba Historical Society at https://www.pyhsmuseum.org.au/

Yamba Community Profile at https://profile.id.com.au/clarence-valley/about?WebID=240

2016 Census Quick State- Yamba (NSW) at 

https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC14458#:~:text=In%20the%202016%20Census%2C%20there,up%204.5%25%20of%20the%20population.&text=The%20median%20age%20of%20people,State%20Suburbs)%20was%2056%20years

Google Earth

Historical imagery from 1985






Wednesday 11 November 2020

NAIDOC Week 2020

 


"Shape of Land" artwork was designed by Tyrown Waigana, a Noongar and Saibai Islander man.


Shape of Land description: The Rainbow Serpent came out of the Dreamtime to create this land. It is represented by the snake and it forms the shape of Australia, which symbolises how it created our lands. The colour from the Rainbow Serpent is reflected on to the figure to display our connection to the Rainbow Serpent, thus our connection to country. The overlapping colours on the outside is the Dreamtime. The figure inside the shape of Australia is a representation of Indigenous Australians showing that this country - since the dawn of time - Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land.


NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. Find out more about the origins and history of NAIDOC Week.


Tuesday 29 May 2018

Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners: "We're on the frontline defending our lands against Adani" and we ask your help


From: Adrian Burragubba - via CommunityRun <info@getup.org.au>
Date: Thu, May 24, 2018 at 5:46 PM
Subject: We're on the frontline defending our lands against Adani
To: [redacted]


This is a message from the leaders of the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners. They are the Traditional Owners of the land where mining giant Adani want to build the Carmichael coal mine. Your details haven't been shared with anyone.

Dear [redacted],

We are leaders of the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners. We're the people on the frontline defending our ancestral lands in the fight against Adani's destructive coal mine.

Our people have said no four times to a miserly land deal offered by Adani in exchange for the destruction of our homelands. We have been opposing Adani and holding them off since 2012.

Our resistance has nothing to do with dollars. No amount of money or promises from a deceitful corporation can stop us standing strong in defence of Wangan and Jagalingou lands and waters and sacred sites.

But Adani are ruthless. They have used the dirtiest tactics to undermine our right to say no, and manufacture a phony "Indigenous Land Use Agreement".

Right now we're fighting against Adani's shoddy tactics and their sham "agreement" in court. The judge could hand down a decision any day now. But it won't end there.

Can you sign our petition to stand with us against Adani?

We are willing to fight Adani all the way to the High Court to protect our environment and sacred sites. We are working for a positive future for our people on our country. We won't stand by and watch its destruction for coal.

Adani are relentlessly pressuring the Queensland government to clear our Native Title rights out of the way — and as the clock ticks and Adani gets more desperate, it will only intensify.

So we need to show Adani and our Governments that they can't fake or force our consent.

We have never given our consent to Adani to destroy our country, and we never will. Our land is our living law; we are connected to it through our ancestors and our culture. Without it we will cease to exist as a people.

Our people have been leading a courageous fight against a cashed-up mining giant with politicians in its pockets, and top end of town lawyers to argue away its collusion, bad faith and dishonesty.

We're calling time on this. It's time for Adani to walk away.

Sign our petition to tell Adani No means No.

Adani can't keep bullying us, or pretending they have our consent. Consent is written in our hearts and minds, and the truth is we have said no. Time and again.

And we shouldn't have to keep saying it. Adani haven't been able to put money on the table for this project or even say when they'll start digging. They've given nothing to our people, or to the people of Queensland and Australia, except a bunch of false promises. The smart money and honest commentators know Adani's Carmichael mine is going nowhere.

But still our rights are at extreme risk. The Queensland Government could yield to this corrupt polluting corporation and "legally" rip up our Native Title, just so they can say they have their final "approval".

We continue to hold the line and have many tens of thousands of supporters in Australia and around the world, but we need more. We need to build a more powerful movement, standing in solidarity with us, to take on Adani's wealth, political influence and dirty tricks.

Sign our petition to support our fight against Adani.

We are in the fight of our lives. Adani have shown a relentless determination to use unjust legal maneouvres to trample our rights. But this fight is bigger than Adani. It's about the rights that all Aboriginal people have to say no to dirty extractive industries that profit from our traditional homelands. It's about our right under international law to be free from discrimination, and to choose our own economic future.

We have a vision for our people that's sustainable. We want economic independence, and to make a future on our country that is respectful of the land and uplifting for our people. We want to invest in solar energy and other new clean enterprises. We don't want scraps from a corrupt corporation looking to profit from the permanent destruction of our culture, or meagre handouts and low paid dirty jobs that require us to give up our human rights.

When we say No to Adani, we mean No. We hope you'll stand with us.

Support our fight: http://wanganjagalingou.com.au/our-fight/

Adrian Burragubba, cultural leader and senior spokesperson
with Murrawah Johnson, Youth spokesperson
and Linda Bobongie, W&J Council Chairperson

for the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners Council


Adrian Burragubba

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