On Country Consultation Report Complete 7 December 2018
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Community consultation on two culturally significant trees along the proposed Western Highway Duplication, between Buangor and Ararat Version Date Change log Author(s) 0.1 24/07/2018 Draft document created N. Sanders 0.2 30/07/2018 Draft document edited and submitted for review V. Prentice Draft amended to incorporate feedback and 0.3 2/09/2018 N. Sanders desktop review B. Fordyce and V. 0.4 16/10/2018 Draft document edited and submitted for review Prentice 1.0 07/12/2018 Final document published for release V. Prentice Copyright This document is copyright. As such, no portion of this document may be reproduced or copied in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the authors, except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth). Notwithstanding this, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation may use this material for the purposes of employee awareness and make sufficient copies for internal use. Disclaimer The information, opinion, ideas and recommendations presented in this document is partly based on the experience of the authors, research, and recognised procedures, which are believed to be accurate, but not infallible. The advice contained herein is given in good faith and follows acceptable professional standards and procedures, but is not meant to encourage any activity, practice or exercise, which may have ceased, changed or have been superseded for any reason without the knowledge of the authors. The authors assume no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the information presented in this document. Coordinate capture The authors advise that all coordinates quoted in this document were initially obtained with a hand-held GPS unit using the GDA94 datum. All grid references are projected in MGA Zone 55, unless otherwise stated. Dependent on external conditions, these units afford an optimal spatial accuracy of ± 0.3 m. December 2018 On Country Heritage and Consulting i Community consultation on two culturally significant trees along the proposed Western Highway Duplication, between Buangor and Ararat Acknowledgements On Country Heritage and Consulting (On Country) is a joint venture between the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations and Terra Rosa Consulting. On County worked in collaboration with the Eastern Maar Traditional Owners (represented by Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation) to produce this report. ‘Eastern Maar’ is the inclusive name adopted by people who identify as Maar, Eastern Gunditjmara, Tjap Wurrung, Peek Whurrong, Kirrae Whurrung, Kuurn Kopan Noot, and / or Yarro waetch (Tooram Tribe). Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC) engaged On Country to conduct an on-site community consultation and document the cultural values presented in this report. The community consultation was conducted by Natasha Sanders, an experienced cultural heritage advisor and the Heritage Manager for On Country. As selected representatives for EMAC, the Eastern Maar Traditional Owners who participated in the community consultation provided their knowledge on the cultural values of the significant trees and the broader area. Participants also provided their views and opinions on heritage concerns raised by the potential threats to these trees and the area. The EMAC representatives who participated in the consultation are provided below: Day 1: Wednesday 18 July 2018 • Geoff Clark • Violet (Mousey) Clark • Vicki Abrahams Day 2: Thursday 19 July 2018 • Geoff Clark • Violet (Mousey) Clark • Vicki Abrahams • Marj Thorpe Dr Heather Builth, who produced a previously commissioned report of the area, was also present for the on-site consultation having been invited by the wider community. At the request of EMAC, Dr Builth was consulted on the significant trees to provide an on-hand account of the details of her previous findings and as a specialist expert in culturally modified trees and invited representative of the community. As such, Dr Builth’s opinions and views on the trees and community concerns have been incorporated into this report. On Country would also like to thank and acknowledge members of the Eastern Maar community and protest group who volunteered their knowledge and comments on the cultural values of both the culturally significant trees and the broader area and who identified much of the Aboriginal cultural heritage presented in this report. The volunteers who provided information and permitted its use in this report are provided below: December 2018 On Country Heritage and Consulting ii Community consultation on two culturally significant trees along the proposed Western Highway Duplication, between Buangor and Ararat Day 1: Wednesday, 18 July 2018 • Darren Turner • Aaron (Roony) Grambeau Day 2: Thursday, 19 July 2018 • Darren Turner • Aaron (Roony) Grambeau • Robert Holloway As part of the scope of works, the findings and outcomes of the community consultation were presented to the EMAC board and the Eastern Maar working group. On Country would like to thank the EMAC board members who provided feedback and comment on the presentation of the findings and provided further advice on the recommendations provided in this report. As the property owners in which the culturally significant trees and focus areas are located, VicRoads supported the on-site community consultation and development of this report. December 2018 On Country Heritage and Consulting iii Community consultation on two culturally significant trees along the proposed Western Highway Duplication, between Buangor and Ararat Table of Contents Copyright ............................................................................................................................... i Disclaimer .............................................................................................................................. i Coordinate capture ................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. iv List of Maps .......................................................................................................................... v List of Plates ......................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... viii Acronyms and Terms ............................................................................................................ ix Part 1: Project Overview ....................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Traditional Owners .................................................................................................. 5 1.1.1 Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) ................................................................... 6 1.1.2 Consultation with Aboriginal representatives .................................................... 6 1.2 Community concerns .............................................................................................. 6 2 Desktop Review ............................................................................................................. 8 2.1 Review of previous assessments ............................................................................ 8 2.1.1 Discussion ..................................................................................................... 17 2.2 Aboriginal cultural heritage .................................................................................... 19 2.2.1 Culturally significant places ............................................................................ 19 2.2.2 Summary of registered sites .......................................................................... 23 2.3 Summary and conclusions .................................................................................... 42 Part 2: Consultation Outcomes ........................................................................................... 44 3 Community Consultation .............................................................................................. 45 3.1 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 46 3.2 Cultural values identified ....................................................................................... 47 3.2.1 Ancestral / Guardian Trees ............................................................................ 47 3.2.2 Cultural landscapes and Storylines ................................................................ 48 3.2.3 A written record marked on the trees ............................................................. 51 3.2.4 Associations with massacres ......................................................................... 52 3.3 Aboriginal sites identified ...................................................................................... 54 3.3.1 Focus Area