Iama (Yam) Island - Local Plan Code
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7.2.5 Iama (Yam) Island - local plan code Part 7: Local Plans Iama (Yam) Island Iama (Yam) Island Torres Strait Island Regional Council Planning Scheme Page 317 Torres Strait Island Regional Council Planning Scheme Page 318 Part 7: Local Plans Iama (Yam) Island Papua New Guinea Saibai Ugar Boigu Stephen Island Erub Dauan Darnley Island Masig Yorke Island Iama Mabuyag Yam Island Mer Poruma Murray Island Coconut Island Badu Kubin Moa St Pauls Warraber Sue Island Keriri Hammond Island Mainland Australia Mainland Australia Torres Strait Island Regional Council Planning Scheme Page 319 Editor’s Note – Community Snapshot Location Topography and Environment • Iama Island is part of the Torres Strait central • Iama Island is a vegetated granite island fringed group of islands. The island is positioned roughly with coral sand flats. The island landforms are in the centre of the region, approximately 93km distinguished by three distinct types: vegetated, north east of Horn Island. steep and hilly land; plateau areas at the top of the slope; and flat areas around the coastline. Population • Dominant habitat types include mangrove • According to the most recent census, there were forests, vine forests and the coastal environment. 315 people living on Iama Island in August 2011, The mangroves and coastal habitats in particular however, the population is highly transient and are of very high quality, with the latter providing this may not be an accurate estimate. habitat for rare and threatened bird species. In addition, the sea grasses in surrounding waters Natural Hazards provide important dugong habitat. • The township, along with the airstrip, • There are many watercourses on Iama Island, telecommunications and waste infrastructure, is many that only flow during the wet season. located on a flat section of land near the coast, • As with all Torres Strait Islanders, the Iama making it susceptible to inundation from the sea. Island community has close connections to land, • Coastal hazards, including erosion and storm sea and sky and consider themselves as part of tide inundation, currently have an impact on Gogobithiay (a local word for land, sea and sky). the low lying parts of Iama Island and it is likely • Further investigation may be undertaken to that flooding may become more regular and supplement water supply be establishment of a significant in the future due to climate change. dam/lagoon. • Due to the topography and vegetation cover over Iama Island, natural hazards such as catchment flooding and landslide are potential threats to the Iama Island community and need to be managed to varying degrees. Torres Strait Island Regional Council Planning Scheme Page 320 Part 7: Local Plans Iama (Yam) Island Township • Iama Island is approximately 2.2km long by 1.5km wide. The main township is located at the north-western end of the island covering an area of approximately 300m by 300m. Community Aspirations 1 • Aspirations for built community and sporting facilities include the establishment of a child care facility, dental services, indoor sporting facilities (such as a stadium), community hall, arts and craft centre, helipad, safe house, healing centre and upgrades to the health care centre. • Possible enterprise opportunities include tourism ventures (such as fishing, diving, island hopping), aquaculture (such as tropical rock lobster, oyster and clams), live crayfish and bêche-de-mer processing, internet café, resort accommodation and environmental education / recreational opportunities based around the mangroves. 1. Many of the community aspirations listed here are taken from the Iama Community Booklet 2012, which identifies community priorities relating to the National Indigenous Reform Agreement (NIRA) building blocks of early childhood, schooling, health, economic participation, healthy homes, safe communities, governance and leadership. Priorities that have a development implication are summarised here to provide an indication of the needs of the community. This is supplemented with information gained from community members during community consultation. Torres Strait Island Regional Council Planning Scheme Page 321 Editor’s Note – Local Story Long ago a man named Mokan lived at the from it and wallowed in it and drank again, foot of Tura, the hill at the northern tip of and then he floated on top of it—he was as Yam Island. He had no wife. fat as a dugong with all the water that he had drunk. And as he lay there, belly down, he Every day at low water, Mokan walked about sang a song: on the reef shooting fish with his bow and arrows. When he had enough for his needs, Mokan wazider buzar kot buzar (e) dangal he came ashore and cooked them in an earth- wazider (e), oven. After his meal he went to the well Mokanan nguki taraikq koi gab. called Babud for a drink. (Here lies Mokan, his belly as big as a One year kuki, the north-west wind, failed to dugong’s. bring rain, and Babud began to dry up. The Mokan is filled to overflowing with water. day came when there was not a single drop of With water from Mokan’s well.) water left in it, as Mokan found after he had At last Mokan dragged himself out of the eaten a very big meal of fish. He had a raging water-hole and lay down beside it to rest thirst, so he set out to look for water in other and gloat. After a while he swept the ground parts of the island. clean around it, and then he walked back to He walked to many places and had almost his home. resigned himself to dying of thirst when he At this time, there also lived near Tura a found a beautiful pool of clear water on a woman named Geinau and her daughter ridge in the centre of the island. He drank Wiba, and they, too, were tortured by thirst. The girl begged her mother for water. “Mother,” she moaned, “I am dying for want of water.” And Geinau, herself parched and weak, yet found strength to sling kusul over her shoulders and go in search of it. At length she stumbled upon Mokan’s pool. She drank from it, filled thekusul , and hurried back toher daughter. Torres Strait Island Regional Council Planning Scheme Page 322 Part 7: Local Plans Iama (Yam) Island When Mokan arrived at his pool the following Wiba crept from her hiding place, snatched morning, he noticed Geinau’s footprints. He up Mokan’s bow and arrows and shot him as was furious at the thought of anyone but he lay face down in his pool. Then she filled himself drinking this water and, as soon as her kusul and walked home to Tura. he had quenched his thirst, hid behind some Mokan, mortally wounded, clambered from bushes in order to catch the thief. Presently the water and turned to stone. Geinau appeared, and while she was drinking, he shot an arrow at her and killed her. He hid her body, swept around his pool, and went off singing, happy again because once more Source: he alone knew about the beautiful water. Myths & Legends of Torres Strait, Lawrie, 1970 [Told by Asou Thaiday at Yam Island, 8 July 1966] Wiba was desolate when Geinau failed to return by dark and, as soon as it was light enough to see next morning, found her mother’s footprints and followed them. Thus, she in turn discovered Mokan’s pool and, seeing the ground swept clean around it, immediately guessed that her mother had been killed and the reason why. Shortly afterwards, she found Geinau’s body in some bushes. Wiba determined to avenge her mother, so she swept away all traces of her own visit and hid in nearby undergrowth to wait for the murderer. Before long, Mokan came striding towards his pool. “Mokan wazider,” he was singing, “buzar koi buzar.” He laid down his bow and arrows and entered the water, drank his fill, and then floated contentedly. He thought of Gelam who had called at lama on his way to Mer. Was he, Mokan, not like Gelam, the boy who became a dugong? “Mokanan nguki taraika koi gab,” he warbled. Torres Strait Island Regional Council Planning Scheme Page 323 7.2.5 Iama (Yam) Island - local plan code 7.2.5.1 Application The code applies where identified in the assessment criteria column of tables 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.6.1 or 5.8.1, in part 5 of this planning scheme. When using this code, reference should be made to section 5.3. 7.2.5.2 Purpose (1) The purpose of the Iama Island local plan code is to guide development on Iama Island in a way that best meets the needs of the community. (2) The purpose of the Iama Island local plan code will be achieved through the overall outcomes listed on the following pages under the headings of: (a) Gogobithiay (land, sea and sky) (b) Natural hazards (c) Torres Strait people and townships (d) Ailan kastom and cultural heritage (e) Getting around (f) Town infrastructure. Note – For the purposes of this local plan code, the strategic framework maps in schedule 2 form part of the local plan maps. They contain information referred to in this code. Editor’s note – To identify where the zones and precincts apply across the local plan area, refer to the maps in schedule 2. Torres Strait Island Regional Council Planning Scheme Page 324 Part 7: Local Plans Iama (Yam) Island Gogobithiay (Land, Sea and Sky) (1) Development minimises and mitigates impacts on areas of high and moderate environmental value within the environmental management and conservation zone are not compromised by development. These areas include rare wading bird habitat; mangrove forest habitat; sea grasses in surrounding waters; coastal habitat and vine forests.