DATE: 31 JAN 2017

MEDIA RELEASE
TO: carl@theexpressnewspaper.com.au, daniel.bateman@news.com.au, editorial@tablelandnewspapers.com.au, shorey.kier@abc.net.au, lauren.dor@news.com.au, katherine.kokkonen@news.com.au

KUR-World: Cultural Heritage Duty of Care breaches

It is my duty as Elder and spokesperson to speak of Bulwai matters as they concern Bulwai people, lands and water.

The proposed KUR-World Development site is on Bulwai tribal lands and yet no consultation has occurred, other than a brief meeting on site with Simon Danielsen in late 2016 – well after the extensive damage from earthworks and land clearing by December 2015.

Personally I have been watching this land and have been doing my own preliminary investigations regarding our cultural heritage on the site. Due to the nature and scope of the earthworks and land clearing on the property to date – I am upset and disappointed because I know we have lost our chance to retrieve and investigate items of cultural interest in those specific affected locations, including artefacts and remains of our ancestors at the site. This area was frequently used by Bulwai people until they were forcibly removed at gun point to become Christianised at Mona Mona Mission in 1913. My grandfather and his family were the last intact Bulwai family to be removed from their homelands and incarcerated at Mona Mona in 1916.

I know from walking on country in my youth, and confirmed in published maps, the Bama walkpads came up from the south of the BARNWELL property and weaved their way to the Barron River via various campsites which allowed food gathering practises and hunting of the land and waters to take place. The site of the Barnwell Homestead was originally the site of a Bama Bora Ring – a cleared rainforest pocket used as a campsite and work area.

First the logging that removed all the old-growth forest, then the pastoralists with their cattle stirring up the land, now the real estate developers bringing their concrete… none of these have done any good for the health of our people, our land and water. Once again, we are being disregarded, and our future is being threatened by the gentrification of our homelands by strangers. This has led to nothing but the ongoing abuse of the people, lands and waters of Bulwai.
How can we be this far through the KUR-World Development process, including extensive land preparation of the site, without the appropriate Cultural Heritage Survey work being completed as per the Cultural Heritage Act 2009?

William Brim
Bulwai Cultural Custodian
Bulwai Cultural Heritage Lions Club
Djabugay-Bulway-Yirrgay-Nyakali-Guluy People (QC2015/005)
(t) 07 40 939 008

PDF ORGINAL: MEDIA RELEASE 31 January 2017 – Willie Brim – KUR-World – Breach of Cultural Heritage Duty of Care