Ace Breaking News – Walbunja traditional custodians gifted estate of activist, academic Val Plumwood in NSW
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In short:
Heritage-listed property Plumwood Mountain has been officially handed back to the Walbunja people of the far south NSW coast.
The estate was owned by late environmental activist, writer and philosopher Val Plumwood.
What’s next?
The 120-hectare property will be used for cultural education, according to the Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council.
According to his journal, the Walbunja of the Eurobodalla on the NSW south coast were the first people sighted by Captain James Cook when he sailed the eastern coast of Australia in 1770.
More than 250 years later, in a first for NSW, the Walbunja people have been handed back a 120-hectare heritage-listed private property at Monga, owned by the estate of the late environmental activist, academic and philosopher Val Plumwood.
Plumwood Inc. has officially transferred the property to the Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council. (Supplied: Plumwood Mountain)normal
The hand-built home, which became known as Plumwood Mountain, is where Dr Plumwood wrote her pioneering scholarly works from 1975 until her death in 2008.
The trust caring for her estate held an intimate ceremony with around 50 people to acknowledge the untouched bushland’s gifting to the Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Affrica Taylor says the handover will continue Dr Plumwood’s passion for conservation and decolonisation. (ABC News: Alasdair McDonald)normal
The land council’s CEO Aunty Ros Carriage and Affrica Taylor, the president of the volunteer non-for-profit set up to manage the property and Dr Plumwood’s archives, have formed a close bond through the handover process.
Ms Carriage said it was the first time since colonisation that a privately owned heritage-listed building had been handed back to traditional custodians in NSW.
Dr Plumwood wrote her pioneering scholarly works between 1975 and 2008 at Plumwood Mountain. (Supplied)normal
“It’s nice that other landholders can see that gifting the land doesn’t mean it will be chopped down and developed, but kept as good country for everyone’s use,” she said.
She said important cultural songlines ran through the property, which sits at the top of Clyde Mountain, 15 minutes’ drive from the town of Braidwood and surrounded by national park.
Dr Plumwood is buried in the garden surrounding the home she built on Clyde Mountain. (ABC News: Alasdair McDonald)normal
“We came from the coast and across to the mountains, and there were many big meetings and gatherings with other mobs all around near Goulburn and Queanbeyan and they would meet near Lake George,” she said.
“This is part of the songlines that lead from the coast and over the ranges.
The octagonal off-grid stone home was built by Dr Plumwood and her partner in 1976. (ABC News: Alasdair McDonald)normal
“I am a saltwater person and I love the sea, but coming up here is relaxing and de-stressing.”
‘The land is part of us’
Dr Plumwood’s activism saw the land protected under one of the state’s first Voluntary Conservation Agreements, and last year her off-the-grid octagonal stone home, co-built in 1976 with her then-partner Richard Sylvan, was listed on the NSW State Heritage Register.
Aunty Ros Carriage stands by Dr Plumwood’s grave looking out towards the Pacific Ocean. (ABC News: Alasdair McDonald)normal
Ms Taylor said the handover was the best possible outcome to continue Dr Plumwood’s legacy.
“She would’ve loved what is happening now, so it feels great to be part of the process that brought this to fruition,” she said.
“On both sides there has been so much inclusion and openness, and I hope that that can be some kind of model for other collaborations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and organisations.
“It is possible, and this is real.”
Meryl Crole says the handover is an important moment for the Walbunja people. (ABC News: Alasdair McDonald)normal
Chairperson of the Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council Aunty Meryl Crole said the handover was important to the Walbunja people, and future generations.
“This means a lot to us, because it will give us the opportunity to bring children, women’s groups and men’s groups up here, and have it as our meeting place,” she said.
“I feel very grounded here and we are part of the land, and the land is part of us.”
Untouched forest
The relationship between the estate and the Walbunja community began after the Black Summer bushfires, which came within metres of the home.
Andrew White, a project manager with the land council and the Walbunja Rangers, said the forest surrounding the home has been untouched since colonisation, unlike much of the far south coast, which had been logged or mined.
Walbunja Ranger Andrew White talks to the intimate crowd about the cultural importance of Plumwood to the Walbunja people. (ABC South East: Alasdair McDonald)normal
“It has been a while coming, and this is one of the most significant steps we’ve seen in us getting back some good country,” he said.
“We will start utilising this as a knowledge-sharing area, because there is a lot of stuff here that’s untouched and there’s a lot of threatened species through here, like greater gliders.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to get out, broaden our scope and create cultural education around this area.”
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