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People involved |
Raukkan Farm The delegation were driven to Raukkan Farm where we met with Henry Rankine, Chair of the Ngarrindjeri Community Council. He explained to us how in 1948 the land had been identified as Aboriginal land and how the community had taken over the running of the 6,000 acre farm in 1974. Now the farm is over 12,000 acres with 260 milk cows and 600 head of beef. They also grow maize, potatoes, lucerne and have 1500 acres set aside for animal feed. We also met with Derek Walker, the farm manager, who gave us a tour of the farm and talked about the spiritual implications of land. He explained how a neighbouring non-Aboriginal dairy farmer had sold his land and herd to the community at little profit and was acting as an adviser to the dairy enterprise. He also told us how western farming systems had cleared the land of trees and now they were trying to restore the land to its natural state and look after their country. Today 35 families live at Raukkan and benefit from the employment opportunities at the farm. Camp Coorong Cultural Museum and Administration Centre The delegation were then taken to Camp Coorong for lunch. Here we met with George Travarra, Helen Travarra and Bill Rankine. The camp is managed and run by the Ngarrindjeri Land and Progress Association Inc. It offers various activities which assist visitors learn about Aboriginal history, arts, crafts and the environment within the Ngarrindjeri region. After lunch we toured the museum and heard something of Ngarrindjeri history as well as enjoyed a display of traditional arts and crafts. On the way back to Adelaide we were taken via Hindmarsh Island so that we could see the location of the dispute between 'developers' and Aboriginal people about the construction of a bridge linking the island with the mainland. On the way our passage was blocked by a local farmer who owned some freehold land on the route over the causeways to the island. This was no doubt due to the high degree of sensitivity felt by some people about the construction of the bridge following the High Court decision to allow the bridge to go ahead contrary to the interests and concerns of some local Aboriginal people. After providing an explanation of our purpose and apologising for any inconvenience we were able to pass. The incident gave a better idea of what people were talking about when they talked about 'lockouts' from pastoral stations in the Kimberley. Before reaching Adelaide we were invited by Chris Larken, Director of the Aboriginal Land Trust, to an informal dinner at Eagle on the Hill which concluded a most pleasent, interesting and informative day. |
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