AUNTY Yvette Pacey, Chair of the Garlambirla Guuyu-Girrwaa (Coffs Harbour Aboriginal Elders group), provided Minister for Regional Transport and Roads the Hon Sam Farraway with an accompanied walk around the Mackays Road (Grandpa’s Scrub) site on Monday 9 January.

Minister Farraway was in Coffs Harbour to announce amendments to three interchanges on the Coffs Bypass but had never witnessed the rainforest on Mackays Road and was not aware of the Aboriginal significance of the rainforest site.

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

“The Minister was unaware of the plan currently in place which involves construction through a corner of the rainforest site,” Yvette told News Of The Area.

The Garlambirla Guuyu-Girrwaa elders have been working with TfNSW for two years on cultural and heritage issues concerning the bypass and Yvette was keen to share the Aboriginal perspective with the minister.

“The Kungali site in the Korora Basin, which is identified as a sacred Gumbaynggirr site, story and song line, is going to be partially destroyed,” she said, “but we have time to save the Mackays Road site.

“For the last two years the Garlambirla elders group has been actively negotiating and consulting with representatives of Transport for NSW to protect that particular site as well as the Mackays Road rainforest.”

On site on Monday, Yvette shared the key points of concern that community and Aboriginal people have about the construction of the bypass with Mr Farraway: environmental, hydrological and the preservation and repatriation of disrupted species.

This remnant of rainforest is the result of a thousand-year-old growth of rainforest species that has existed through innumerable climatic conditions.

The fact that it has survived and thrived through these changes indicates its environmental importance, says Yvette.
Its heritage value to the Aboriginal people cannot be underestimated.

Yvette mentioned concerns regarding the eco and water systems within the Korora Basin and Coffs Harbour area as playing a vital role in bird and aquatic life, as a breeding ground, providing a nursery for the young and how the flora and fauna have evolved.

“We don’t want to discover in ten years time that we don’t have a platypus population,” she said.

In relation to the Mackays Road rainforest, over the past decade, hundreds of Aboriginal stone artefacts have been pulled out of this small site.

This indicates that this area of rainforest was used by Aboriginal people for cultural ceremonial and habitation purposes for a long period of time.

“There are three species of endangered trees in there as well as plants used by Aboriginal people for medicinal purposes, it’s a link to the past and shows how the environment used to look, and there’s birds, insects and aquatic life that depend on those plants.”

Advocates believe this rare piece of rainforest must be protected and respected as it is a link to the past for Aboriginal people and their culture and heritage.

It was a source of fresh water, a source of food supply and medicinal plants for Gumbaynggirr people.

The Biodiversity Offsets Scheme purchases of so-called like-for-like land to make up for the loss of the Mackays Road rainforest were not mentioned during this conversation.

“The minister has listened to the concerns of the Aboriginal elders group and further consultation with the minister and Gurmesh Singh will be ongoing in relation to these issues,” Yvette said.

“Discussions were held regarding other concerns with updates and amendments that needed to be done with The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 as this act is outdated and needs to be reviewed and revised to be relevant to today’s issues.

Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh joined Minister Farraway on site at Mackays Road.

“We walked through the site to get a better understanding of where the bypass will be constructed relative to the site, and how any negative impacts can be mitigated,” Mr Singh told NOTA.

“We had a constructive discussion with the concerned residents, including the former landowner Mr Kevin Mackay and local indigenous elder Aunty Yvette Pacey, about what could be done to avoid disturbing the site.

“A further meeting will be held in the near future to discuss options,” he said.

Aunty Yvette thanked Mr Farraway and Mr Singh for engaging in discussion regarding the site.

“I would like to give thanks to Gurmesh and Sam for their time and effort coming to the rainforest site and taking the time to listen to the concerns of the Gumbaynggirr people and other concerned community representatives who have a living history and knowledge of this rare piece of land,” Yvette said.

By Andrea FERRARI