Koorie Club News
**WARNING: THIS NEWSLETTER CONTAINS NAMES OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED**
Nation Wide News:
Traditional Owners have begun to protest against mining at Jabiluka. The Mirarr people, traditional owners of the land, are protesting against mining company ERA who wants to renew the lease on Jabiluka, a location significant to their culture. The Mirarr argue that ERA has not listened to their concerns and that Jabiluka should be permanently protected. ERA says renewing the lease is the best way to protect the land and that an agreement already in place gives the Mirarr a veto right on development. This is a long running conflict with the Mirarr having successfully stopped mining at Jabiluka in the past. They are prepared to mobilise supporters again if necessary.
Visitors are to be banned from one of Australia’s iconic attractions, Lake Eyre. A proposal to restrict access to Lake Eyre in Australia is causing controversy. The plan, aimed at protecting the sacred land for its Aboriginal owners, would ban recreational activities directly on the lakebed. While the Arabana Aboriginal Corporation, who co-manage the lake, supports the plan, tourism operators are worried about the impact on their businesses.
Recent evidence that Aboriginal people made pottery and sailed thousands of years ago has been discovered. Aboriginal Australians made and used pottery thousands of years ago, according to new research that found the oldest securely dated pottery in Australia on Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef.
Prior to this discovery, archaeologists had not found evidence of widespread pottery use in Aboriginal Australia, despite it being common elsewhere in the region.
The newly discovered pottery is between 2950 and 1815 years old and was made locally from materials found on the island. This suggests Aboriginal people on Lizard Island were making pottery long before European contact and may have learned the technique from communities across the Coral Sea.
The findings also show Aboriginal people had complex maritime skills and extensive trade networks thousands of years ago.
https://nit.com.au/24-04-2024/11029/traditional-owners-protest-against-mining-at-jabiluka
Sports News
A West Coast Eagles fan verbally abused Fremantle player Michael Walters after a recent derby match. The abuse wasn't racist but was "crude and offensive." The West Coast Eagles condemned the fan's behavior and expressed support for Walters. This comes after Walters was tackled by a West Coast player who was suspended for the action. This incident is part of a larger trend of fan abuse towards players in the AFL.
This weekend, Lance Franklin, a retired AFL star who played for both Hawthorn and Sydney, will be making a rare public appearance at the MCG when Hawthorn faces Sydney.
Fans will have a chance to thank Franklin for his contributions to the game. He'll participate in a short ceremony and potentially give a speech on the field.
This is a significant return for Franklin as it's the first time his former teams will play each other since his retirement. Franklin played 182 games for Hawthorn, winning two premierships with them, before being traded to Sydney in 2013. He played another 10 seasons for the Swans.
The article also details some of Franklin's achievements, including becoming the sixth player to kick 1000 career goals.https://nit.com.au/24-04-2024/11002/eagles-reach-out-to-walters-following-fan-abuse
Didge ya know?
The Aboriginal Heritage Walk at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne takes you on a journey through a culturally important site led by a First Peoples’ guide. Learn about native plants and their uses as well as the history, culture, and customs of the Aboriginal people! The Royal Botanic Gardens have been around for more than 170 years and feature more than 8,500 species of plants extending over 38 hectares. The Aboriginal Heritage Walk takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
The Fitzroy Aboriginal Heritage Trail on Wurundjeri country is roughly 3 kilometres long and takes approximately 45 minutes to walk. The walk takes you through the streets of Fitzroy, stopping at 16 sites significant to the Aboriginal community, each marked with a bronze plaque. Fitzroy became the urban heart of Aboriginal Victoria with mob steadily moving to the inner-city suburb and its surrounding suburbs from the 1920s onwards. It was the birthplace of several Aboriginal important organisations like the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) and the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS). It became the centre stage for the fight for civil rights and operated as a meeting place for linking in with family, especially for members of the Stolen Generations.
There are also many Aboriginal podcasts, radio programmes, and musicians. A great station to check out is 3KND Kool N Deadly 1503 AM. Livestream or check out programmes via 3knd.org.au or listen to Triple R 102.7 FM. You can search for indigenous programs via rrr.org.au.
From: https://www.vacca.org/
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Koorie Club Leaders.
Rachel Aden (Koorie Club Leader) – ADE0010@sthelena.vic.edu.au
Jamie Humphries (Koorie Club Leader) – HUM0004@sthelena.vic.edu.au
For any other support needed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples please visit: https://headspace.org.au/yarn-safe/