Hello everyone. My name’s Shane Clark, of the Bunurong Land Council. A Traditional Custodian of these lands of where we are today, and where we gather. I’d like to start by acknowledging and paying my respects to my Elders, both past and present and remember that we walk in the footsteps of our ancestors.
So wominjeka. Welcome all my friends to the lands of the Bunurong.
The Bunurong clans have been around, through ice age. So we’re talking about tens of thousands of years of occupation. And I think if people listen, to connect to Country and imagine how the landscapes have changed over time. Sand dunes have moved, water levels have rose, and they’ve also gone down. At the time of settlement, these were significant headlands, rather than the diminished slopes we see today. But through the periods you’ve seen, there’s still occupation today, of them connections of people being connected to Country.
I would like to share a story about Bunjil, wedge tailed eagle, our spirit creator. Bunjil, the ancestral creator, he’s seen that the wildlife and vegetation was suffering. So he placed rocks at St Kilda to stop the waters of the great flood near the foreshore, such as Point Ormond Hill and the Esplanade Bluff.
So just remember when we walk on Country, everybody plays their part, as we have done for a very long time. Caring for Country, caring for our waterways, caring for our vegetation, wildlife.
It’s important for everybody to come together and connect to place and understand where we are today. And also think about tomorrow.