Remembering the past – National Committee of the Friends of Myall Creek, back row, left, Ted Stubbins, Keith Munro, Sally Cordiner. Middle, Adele Chapman-Burgess, Co-Chair Ivan Roberts, Roger Knox, Graeme Cordiner, Brian Donnelly. Front, Kelvin Brown, Ann Daly, Cecilia Blackwell, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, Jo Miller and Peter Stewart.
Monday, 11 March 2019
FRIENDS of the Myall Creek Massacre Memorial recently has secured a State Government grant for more than $1 million to complete the next stage of their ambitious Myall Creek Cultural and Education Precinct Project at the memorial site near Bingara.
NorthernTablelands MP Adam Marshall announced the funding today after meeting with the groups’ co-chair Ivan Roberts and committee members to go over the second stage of the three-stage plan.
The funding of $1,066,981 was secured through round two of the NSW Government’s $100 million Regional Cultural Fund and will be used to progress the completion of a permanent memorial and educational centre.
“This is wonderful news for the Friends of Myall Creek and for reconciliation in this country,” Mr Marshall said.
“For years the group has been wanting to construct a permanent centre at the memorial site to help educate the community about the history of Myall Creek and other tragic massacres across our region and Australia.
“The 1838 massacre of 38 unarmed Aboriginal people was the first time settlers were held to account for their actions – tried, convicted and hanged.
“The National Committee of the Friends of Myall Creek developed an exciting plan to construct a state-of-the-art educational centre at the memorial site and have come together from right across Australia.
“Plans for the almost $10 million project are ambitious and I am excited to throw my full support behind it and to announce the first $1 million contribution.
“It is a brilliant project and I commend the Friends of Myall Creek national committee for its unstinting and generous commitment to increase the profile of the massacre memorial and to ensure that the history of the Myall Creek massacre – and many others like it – is remembered and that we then learn from it.”
Committee Co-Chair Ivan Roberts said the funding would allow the second stage to be developed, including landscaping, artwork and bush food garden.
“We are thrilled to have this funding and it will allow the committee to undertake and complete the second stage of the whole development,” Mr Roberts said.
“We will be able to greatly develop the site to include a culturally appropriate outdoor performance space and a meeting place for dance, drama and storytelling.
“There are plans to also replant Indigenous vegetation, including a ‘bush food’ garden, preserving traditional foods and medicines informing the connection between culture, land and farming practice.
“There will also be the installation of commissioned public artworks representative of the cultural explosion generated by the healing that has taken place at Myall Creek, as well as building much-needed parking bays and amenities which will cater for the growing number of visitors to the precinct.”