Interpretation of Aboriginal Heritage

I have just returned from a Wheatbelt Trails Forum at Beverley WA. It was a most informative session with keynote speakers from Dept for Sport and Recreation, National Trust of Australia (WA) and Lotterywest (who did I miss?).

One of the key discussion points throughout the sessions was that of interpretation of Aboriginal heritage when developing community initiatives including walk trails.

According to documents published by the National Trust the aim of the interpretation of Aboriginal heritage is for the material to be presented with an Aboriginal voice. This is Aboriginal people speaking for their own heritage, history, place, country and story. How true that rings to the points made by the Noongar representatives at the recent site meeting at Boyagin Rock.

I thought it may be of interest to various stakeholders to share a link to the National Trust web site . On that page is a link to  “We’re a Dreaming Country” Guideline for Interpretation of Aboriginal Heritage (2012). I have downloaded this publication and will read with great interest when I have some slack time over the weekend. Maybe others would be interested also.

So What Happens Now?????

The first stage of this project was to appoint consultants to construct a Master Plan for the concept of a Dreamtime Walk around Boyagin Rock. That process is complete and we welcome aboard Tredwell Management as consultants.

A site meeting was held at Boyagin Rock on 6 November 2013. A summary of outcomes of the meeting have been documented in the previous post on this blog.

From this point it will be the responsibility of Tredwell Management to gather information in readiness for inclusion in the Master Plan. This information will come from direct contact with the various stakeholders involved at Boyagin Rock. The key stakeholders at present are The Department of Parks and Wildlife, Shire of Pingelly, SW Aboriginal Land and Sea Council and the local Noongar community.

This process is quite detailed and can take some time and numerous meetings. We will keep you informed as we go and take into consideration any input to this blog. The draft Master Plan should be available some time early in the New Year. The final Master Plan is scheduled for late April 2014.

Please treat this blog as the central point for information and discussion as we go.

Summary Notes and Thoughts from Site Meeting 6 November 2013

Summary of notes/thoughts on the key issues and themes raised at the site meeting 6 November 2013:

Below is a list of points discussed at our recent site meeting held at Boyagin Rock. Please feel free to comment as appropriate. All comments will be kept and considered in the design of the Master Plan.

1. ·         Trail alignment to avoid the rock itself and environmentally sensitive locations, particularly at the base of the rock.
2. ·         Consider strategies to stop/dissuade visitors from climbing the rock.
3. ·         Maintain continuous lines of communication with all stakeholders from start to finish of the process.
4. ·         A list of consultees/stakeholders is currently being developed and will be circulated.
5. ·         The process must be transparent; the initial stage (Master Plan process) will likely take around 6 months.
6. ·         The Master Plan document will establish the most significant opportunities and constraints associated with a establishing a trail at Boyagin Rock, providing a framework upon which more detailed investigations can be undertaken, including the identification of future funding opportunities.
7. ·         Disseminate knowledge of the rock, including the language and oral tradition of the Noongar people.
8. ·         Respect the storyline and ensure interpretation material associated with the trail is 100% accurate; establish protocols to gather interpretation material and review process to ensure accuracy.
9. ·         Avoid replicating the less successful elements of the nearby Serpentine Falls project.
10. ·         Very important to establish rights of access to intended areas of use and address issues of land ownership/management.
11. ·         All parties are in favour to promote/support the project in some form; ultimate details of the project will be subject to continual consultation.
12. ·         Need to provide facilities that attract and encourage visitors to learn the history/stories associated with Boyagin Rock.
13. ·         Involve the community and learn from each other.
14. ·         Continue to encourage involvement of Shire of Brookton & community.
15. ·         Seek opportunities to involve local community members in the planning, construction and continuing management of the trail.
16. ·         Key stakeholders will include (but not necessarily be limited to) the Noongar people, the Shire and DPAW.
17. ·         Investigate commercial options for the trail.
18. ·         The trail must be sustainable; the level of development proposed must be carefully considered to ensure protection of existing attributes/values (including the original purpose of establishing the area as a conservation reserve).
19. ·         Important culturally/environmentally sensitive areas must be protected.

Kind regards

Dan

Daniel Ames

Open Space & Recreation Planner

Tredwell Management Services

Specialising in Sport, Recreation and Open Space

Boyagin Rock Dreamtime Walk Trail Project Officially Kicks Off

Following a lot of discussion and hard work by the Pingelly Tourism Group a project is now officially underway to construct a Master Plan for a proposed walk trail around Boyagin Rock. The  money required to engage consultants in this process was kindly made available by Lotterywest as part of their Walk Trails Funding Program. This grant, and the acquittal process, will be managed by the Pingelly Development Association.

Boyagin Rock - Pingelly Western Australia

The concept of a “Dreamtime Walk Trail” has been created to boost recreational and tourist facilities in the Pingelly region and to present a project which focuses on the immense heritage value of Boyagin Rock to the Noongar people.  A Master Plan is necessary for the community to seek further funding to develop detailed plans and commence construction of the planned upgrade of facilities at Boyagin Rock and, to construct a walk trail themed around the 6 seasons of the Noongar people.

The construction of the Master Plan will involve detailed discussions and the input from the Department of Parks and Wildlife, the local Noongar communities, WA Department of Sport and Recreation, the Shire of Pingelly, the Pingelly Tourism Group and the SW Aboriginal Land and Sea Council. Other stakeholders will be identified as we progress our work toward completion of the Master Plan.  Tredwell Management have been appointed as the consultants responsible for compilation of the Master Plan. Vince Holt, Community Development Officer from the Shire of Pingelly, is the appointed Project Manager during the Master Plan stage of this project.

Expectations are that a draft Master Plan will become available for review in the New Year. The Master Plan proper is scheduled for completion in April 2014.

 

Wednesday 6 November 2013 saw a site meeting take place at Boyagin Rock. We had a great turnout and some very robust discussions between various stakeholders and Noongars from different communities. A BBQ lunch was served. Many thanks to the Pingelly Community Resource Centre for allowing us to test drive the new Community BBQ Trailer. Thanks also to all those who turned up and for your valuable contribution in the early stages of this project.

Community BBQ Trailer provide by the Pingelly Community Resource Centre

Ray Marshall—Chair, Pingelly Tourism Group.