Mayor and councillors meet with local and Arnhem Land Elders
By Sonia Isaacs
Sunshine Coast Council representatives including Mayor Rosanna Natoli and divisional councillors attended a private meeting with Arnhem Land Elders and local Elders to discuss the cultural significance of the Glass House Mountains.
Held at the base of Mount Tibrogargan on Monday April 29, the seven person Arnhem Land delegation along with Jinibara and Kabi Kabi representatives met with the Mayor and Cr Jenny Broderick, Cr Tim Burns, Cr Joe Natoli, Cr David Law, and Cr Taylor Bunnag along with two council support officers. Around 40 people were in attendance at the private gathering.
As revealed in GC&M News (April 23), the delegation, which was sponsored by Save Our Glasshouse Mountains (SOGM), have been called to campaign against the proposed Hanson quarry expansion.
Currently the Hanson Glassshouse Quarry site sits at the base of Mount Coonowrin, part of the Glasshouse Mountains, a location of immense cultural significance for traditional custodians.
Cr Jenny Broderick said while she welcomed the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of traditional culture in context of the Glass House Mountains, she was mindful of the protocol surrounding the development application process.
“I’ve attended this meeting as I genuinely want to know what the whole community thinks,”
She said the need for public impartiality was crucial in discussions around the Quarry application so as not to be precluded from the voting process should the matter progress.
“We want to ensure we can be in the room to represent our Community when the time comes, and not run the risk of conflict of interest,” Cr. Broderick said.
The April 29 meeting followed a ticketed event held at Crookneck Retreat on Sunday April 28 where around 200 people attended a full day workshop to share insights and cultural knowledge around the importance of preserving culturally significant and sacred sites.
Uncle Alan Parsons who attended the event, said the April 28 gathering was a powerful cultural knowledge sharing opportunity that encouraged an understanding that ‘caring for county’ was a profoundly sacred yet shared responsibilty of all traditional custodians.
He said the Arnhem land delegation led by Uncle Don Weluk had responded to the call that had emanated from ‘deep listening’. He said the opportunity to ‘sit in circle’ and discuss concerns was the traditional and proper way.
“This visit has been a powerful reminder that people need to care for country in the proper way; the old Lore ways that Uncle Don and our Elders have shared can guide us on the importance of caring for our scared mountains,” he said.
