Dhurga Rock gets go ahead

"This rock stands as an acknowledgement that the land in the Braidwood region was occupied and cared for by the people of the Dhurga language group for tens of thousands of years before European settlement.

Their dispossession and displacement and the resulting suffering and loss of sacred culture are deeply regretted.

We aspire to a shared future in which Aboriginal wisdom is valued and all people and the land are respected and cared for."

A second smaller rock will explain who erected the monument. 

Although the project had received broad community support and had been developed in consultation with local aboriginal groups, the item was left lie on the table after the last Council meeting of 2014 when some councillors had suggested that Bicentennial Park was a better place for the rock. 

Several speakers addressed the council last week including Geoff Davies saying: “Just one objection to the development application was lodged before the December Council meeting. 

The inscription has been further revised since then, and twice publicised in the Braidwood Times. No objections have been forthcoming.”

Julia Green said “The Dhurga Rock project is about healing and education. Healing traumas from the past, and teaching people about the long and rich history of this land.”

“The inscription for the Rock has been very carefully thought out.”

“An acknowledgement of past injustices is precisely what is needed to begin healing. 

It is not about accusations or guilt. It is about acknowledgement and regret."

The Council Report said “With the Dhurga Rock project, Palerang Council could be seen as taking a significant step forward. The Rock will be unveiled at the 2015 Two Fires Festival, with ceremony and celebration. We expect this project will receive considerable local, state and national attention.”

[Editors Note: Apologies that the wrong words for the inscription on the rock were published in the print edition of the paper today.]