Elimatta spring 2010 www.asgmwp.net Aboriginal Support Group – Manly Warringah Pittwater Adam Cryer Project Offi cer – Aboriginal Child, Youth & Family Strategy My name is Adam Cryer and I am I have Community Consultations the Aboriginal Child, Youth and planned for October that will allow Family Strategy Project Offi cer for the the local community to talk directly Northern Sydney Region. I have been to services and let the services know in this position since November 2009. about how they could provide better I am based at Hornsby Council but access for Aboriginal people. spend a lot of time getting out and This project is also responsible about as the area I work in stretches for organising projects such as from the beautiful Northern Beaches Christmas in the Bush and other right across to the Harbour and up community events. Christmas in the to the river country of Wisemans Bush will be on again this year and it Ferry and Brooklyn. I am currently the looks like it will be held at Co-Chair of Reconciliation Network: Taronga Zoo on Sunday 28 Northern Sydney Region and also November. We are also convene the Northern Sydney Koori planning some smaller Interagency. community get togethers I am an Aboriginal man who has to ensure that families are grown up in Hornsby and have supporting each other in strong ties to the Northern Sydney the area. area. I have spent 10 years working In my time in this role I have in community services in both local been able to make really good government and non-government connections with Aboriginal staff Adam is located at the Community organisations. I have spent a in the area and am enjoying being Services Branch, Hornsby Council majority of this time working with back working with our mob after Ph (02) 9847 6585 Mob 0438 777 545 young people and families. My work a time of working in mainstream email [email protected] experience has included youth services. It’s good to be able to help refuges, working in schools as an our young ones and know that we Aboriginal Education Assistant and can help make our future strong. I I also had the opportunity to work am passionate about community as the Recreation Offi cer at Biala development and look forward Aboriginal Hostel. to working further to develop the My current role is to work with community in the Northern Sydney organisations in the Northern Sydney Region. Region that provide services to I hope to get out and meet as many Aboriginal families. This involves community members as possible in ensuring that the Aboriginal the coming months. Community are able to access services and have a say in how these Adam Cryer services are provided. The Aboriginal Support Group - Manly Warringah Pittwater acknowledges the Guringai People, the traditional owners of the lands and the waters of this area. Elimatta 1 ASGMWP Newsletter Spring 2010 PEOPLE OF GURINGAI TENTH LANGUAGE COUNTRY ANNIVERSARY Launch of a series of three historical posters concerning the Aboriginal history of northern coastal Sydney of the on 23 August at Gawura Aboriginal Learning Centre ABORIGINAL Another celebratory event for the led by Bungaree; Lyn Stewart from HERITAGE North Side! Ulladulla, Guringai descendant whose We began our celebration with a mother grew up on Marra Marra Creek OFFICE Smoking Ceremony by Les De Jong in the Hawkesbury; Julie Janson, artist, and Acknowledgement of Country dramatist, teacher, historian, longtime On 24 March I was a guest of by Lois Birk and Welcome to Country Northern Beaches resident, and creator the Aboriginal Heritage Offi ce by Uncle Bob Waterer. of the three posters; Prof Peter Read, historian, author, co-founder of Link-Up at the 10th anniversary of its This event, at Gawura Aboriginal and senior partner on the Aboriginal inception and the signing of the Learning Centre, Northern Sydney History of Sydney Project; Kevin Memorandum of Understanding Institute of TAFE, Brookvale, was Keller, College Director, Brookvale between Ku-ring-gai, Lane the appropriate setting for the TAFE; Caroline Glass-Pattison and Cove, Manly, North Sydney, launch of the three detailed, very Julie Hendicott of the Guringai AECG, Pittwater, Ryde, Warringah and historically-to-present informative who co-hosted this event. Willoughby Councils. and beautiful posters, which are part It was a really miraculous of the People of Guringai Language occasion. Many local Mayors Country historical project, funded were present, as were the by the University of Sydney History General Managers of their Department. This is our Northern Councils. Beaches section of the larger project, Pat Reilly, Mayor of Willoughby, which will record the Aboriginal really summed up the feeling of history of the whole of Greater those present when he said that Metropolitan Sydney. it was inconceivable 30 years This information, photos, maps, ago, even 20 years, that the idea timelines, will be available to all of an Aboriginal Heritage Offi ce on the project’s website: www. was possible and yet 10 years historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au ago, with David Watts at the The northern Sydney section will be Julie Janson and Peter Read helm, the Heritage Offi ce began. accessible by the time this Elimatta is photo courtesy of Clair Jackson It was fi tting that Jenny Munro printed. (past Chairperson of Metro) Julie introduced Macdonald Hamilton, should Acknowledge Country a descendant of the Flood Family because, when the Support from Dubbo, the techno-whiz who Group fi rst met David, he was brought her poster creations to print. employed as Heritage and Sites Jessica Birk, local renowned young Offi cer for Metro. artist, did the evocative artwork for the posters. Sheena Kitchener, fi lm David has always had the maker, fi lmed the event and is the support of the ASG. It is his video maker for the project. dream that Aboriginal Heritage should be identifi ed, respected Caroline presented Julie and Peter and managed in the Northern with framed posters of this year’s Sydney area. 10th Guringai Festival. Well done David Watts and the Many thanks to ASGMWP for staff at the Aboriginal Heritage Chris Evans (left) and Jessica Birk assistance with food preparation. Offi ce. You have shown that photo courtesy of Clair Jackson Clair Jackson from Little Things Big Things Grow. Speakers were Uncle Bob Waterer, longtime resident on the Northern Lizzie Landers Beaches and senior Guringai descendant of Sarah (Biddy) Wallace, who in 1803 was born into the clan Elimatta 2 ASGMWP Newsletter Recently there have been questions raised about the authenticity of the word Guringai. The Support Group is guided by the following statement from the Aboriginal Heritage Offi ce. Does using the term Guringai add to the injustice? For the northern coastal area the original name for the area, tribe their interpretation of the past without of Sydney it has generally been or language. However, given the much thought of the impact that this considered to be Guringai country, lack of any credible alternative, it is would have on Aboriginal people. whereas land west of the Lane considered to be an appropriate and Aboriginal people have just got Cove River is commonly known as convenient term to represent the area on with the job of trying to survive Darug lands. The coastal areas were as distinct from other parts of Sydney. and trying to maintain their culture. traditional lands of coastal clans It is a sad fact that much of the The word Guringai has become who spoke a different dialect and traditional knowledge of this area was incorporated into the region’s history had different customs to those of wiped out in the smallpox epidemic of and landscape, whether right or the ‘hinterland’. Australian Museum 1789 and subsequent impacts of the wrong. archaeologist, Dr Val Attenbrow, invasion. This is part of the story of Does using the term Guringai add has done extensive research on this this area. to the injustice? No!! The injustice matter over many years and notes: It is interesting to note that it was is non-Aboriginal people making …because of the history of events the English who brought smallpox assumptions of what Aboriginal that has taken place in the Sydney and other diseases, who took the people want or need without region, the present composition of land, and who made such a poor bothering to ask. the groups using the language names job of recording the language. It Aboriginal Heritage Offi ce, July 2010 and the boundaries within which they was the new colonists, and later operate are, in some places, quite ‘Australians’, who banned Indigenous different to those of the past. languages and created policies of (Sydney’s Aboriginal Past, 2002) assimilation designed to remove The AHO has discussed this issue the cultural heritage of Aboriginal with Metropolitan Local Aboriginal survivors. It has been academics and Land Council, the recognised amateur historians who have tried custodians for this area, as well as to reconstruct the past, generally for members of the local Aboriginal their own ends rather than for the community. It is generally agreed betterment of Aboriginal people, then that the term Guringai may not be argued and theorised and changed Dear Readers This is the last Elimatta that we will be editing. Autumn 2004 was our fi rst The fi rst newsletter of the issue as co-editors and as expected, working on the newsletters has been Aboriginal Support Group- both a challenging and enjoyable experience. Manly Warringah Pittwater was Neil Evers, a member of the Support Group, has offered to take on this produced in March 1982. role and produce the newsletter electronically. His co-editors will be Carol The 1987 Winter edition was Gerrard, a long-standing member of the Group who is a regular contributor named Elimatta for the fi rst time.