GLaWACNews

Issue 8 – Spring 2013

Inside this issueElders Council, Board Membersand Staff....................................2

CEO Report...............................3

Financial Report.........................3

NRM News................................4

JM Report................................. 5

RAP Review................................6

Canoe Launch ...........................7

Leisure and Pleasure..….............8

TOLMB Update..........................9

Corringle Foreshore Reserve....11

Elders, Board and StaffBoard MembersRobert Critch – ChairpersonLee-Anne Eddington – TreasurerAunty Shirley FosterLloyd Hood – Vice ChairpersonBarry KennyShane O’ShannasyAunty Madge SielyAunty Fay Voss – Secretary

Administration StaffNatalie Finn – ReceptionistLisa Giblin – JM CoordinatorBarry Kenny – CEO Annette Mullett – TEK Project OfficerDarren Speirs – NRM Manager Lyn Wallace – Business Manager

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JM Cultural RangersBradley HoodRichard HoodGrattan Mullett JnrPatrick MullettNicole SchaecheKayla Wilson

NRM Enterprise CrewPeter BartlettMick Farnham Robert FarnhamDouglas HarrisonRobert HudsonMark KennyNigel PearceEric StewartRichard Thomas

Cover shot: Canoe Sculpture atthe Swing Bridge in Longford. Story on page 7.

Below Left: Tony Finn preparingthe Smoking Ceremony at theLongford sculpture launch.

Below Right: Spring has sprung,with the wattle blooming by thebanks of the Mitchell River.

Elders’ CouncilAunty Gwen AtkinsonAunty Sheila Baksh Uncle Robert CritchAunty Margaret DonnellyAunty Shirley FosterAunty Rose GarnerAunty Maria HarrisonAunty Joyce HoodAunty Irene LeonAunty Madge SielyCharmaine SingletonAunty Glenis SolomonAunty Barbara SuttonAunty Ollie TregonningAunty Fay VossAunty Rita Watkins

Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation197 Macleod Street (PO Box 1699)

Bairnsdale Victoria 3875t 03) 5152 5100 • f 03) 5152 1666

e admin@glawac.com.auwww.glawac.com.au

CEO ReportI am pleased to reportour corporation isgrowing at a fast pacewith many thingshappening.We are in the progress of adding to our original premises by buildinga new boardroom that will hold over 100 people, therefore lookingforward to hosting our AnnualGeneral Meeting and other eventson our own premises, instead ofthe high cost to hire other venues.The current building will berenovated to have a further sixoffices to house our growing staff.

We are also looking at purchasingthe block of land next to the officeon the east side; this will helphouse our Natural ResourceEnterprise team and JointManagement Cultural Rangers. Thereasoning is to have all staff on theone site, which will show the widercommunity who we are and provideGLaWAC a bigger presence in ourcommunity. Once we havepurchased the property there will besheds and offices erected; thesebuildings are part of the (ILUA)Indigenous Land Use Agreementwith the Department ofEnvironment and Primary Industries.There will be more employmentcoming up in the next few monthswith the NRM team as morecontracts become available. Ifyou’re interested in working withthe NRM team please drop yourresume into Darren Speirs at ouroffice in 197 Macleod StreetBairnsdale or mail to PO Box 1699Bairnsdale 3875.

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The Joint Management teamconsisting of Lisa Giblin JointManagement Coordinator, TonyFinn Works Coordinator, BradleyHood, Patrick Mullett, GrattanMullett Jnr, Richard Hood, KaylaWilson, Nicole Schaeche, allCultural Rangers. The team are very excited about their work andlove working for their own peopleon-country. Some of the worksconducted by the rangers aremowing and general cleaning ofCorringle near Orbost, BuchanCaves Reserve, Mitchell RiverNational Park, Lake Tyers StatePark and Raymond Island. Therangers will eventually have worksat The Knob Reserve and TarraBulga near Traralgon.

The Natural Resource Managementteam consisting of Darren SpeirsManager, Nigel Pearce, RichardThomas, Mick Farnham, DouglasHarrison, Mark Kenny, RobertFarnham, Robert Hudson, PeterBartlett, and slowly building theteam each week. We have securedcontracts from Parks Victoria, VicRoads, Greening Australia, VicForest,East Gippsland Shire Council, Eastand West Gippsland CatchmentAuthorities and Transfield at theRAAF Base in Sale. The firewoodenterprise is extremely good and ismaking a good profit. We deliverfirewood to all areas of far-eastGippsland, and in the near futurewe hope to have a depot up andrunning in Traralgon so we can sellfirewood and progress our naturalresource enterprise team in thewest of Gippsland.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge(TEK) officer Annette Mullett, thework Annette is doing will help withthe oral history program we hope todeliver later in the year. Thisposition funded by the East andWest Gippsland CatchmentManagement Authorities is toresearch and collect informationfrom our people along the waterways. Once we have collected thisinformation we can developsignage.

Business Manager Lyn Wallace, therole of the Business DevelopmentManager is to ‘grow the company’financially and in terms of partnerand public awareness andrecognition. Her duties include,commercial partnerships andinvestments, strategic planning,business development, marketingand brand recognition, financialmonitoring and reporting. Lyn alsoassists with minutes of boardmeetings and general office duties.

We are looking to hold Elders’Council meetings in differentlocations; the next being atMelbourne Museum in October, if Elders require transport pleasecontact Natalie on reception.Theaim is to have four Elders’ Councilmeetings a year at various venuesto be decided.

Barry Kenny GLaWAC CEO

We have secured an ongoingcontract with Transfield who are the service providers for the RoyalAustralian Air Force (RAAF) Base inSale to provide large scale mowingservices; we have purchased a newmower that is capable of cutting upto 3.5 metres in one pass (seepicture on page 5).

Our crew is undertaking trainingprograms to better prepare for thecoming Spring, this season is usuallya busy time for works due to beingthe growing season for many of ourproblem weeds, our crew will beready for the challenges ahead.

I have been busy developing andconsolidating a number ofrelationships with outside agenciesand organisations and have beenimpressed with the offers ofsupport and assistance that hasbeen provided.

I am looking forward to a busy and productive Spring and amcomfortable we are prepared forthe challenges ahead.

Darren SpeirsNRM Business Manager

NRM NewsThe NRM crew andstaff have had a busytime since our lastnewsletter...the winterchill has placed highdemands on ourfirewood supplies, to the point we ran out for a short perioddue to lack of supplyof suitable logs forconversion. We have one thousand tonne of logs at the depot now, so will bebetter placed to supply year outand into next year.

We have started three new staffwithin our NRM crew; RobertFarnham, Peter Bartlett andDouglas Harrison. These newemployees will be engaged inworks mainly around deliveringcontract outcomes for outsideagencies and private companies,and I welcome them to thecorporation and look forward toworking with them.

Our crew has been working on anumber of projects that have takenthem into the high country to carryout weed eradication, also treeplanting along a number of watercourses in the local area to helpenhance the riverine environmentand continuing on our firewoodsupply.

A number of our crew will bespending some time in Omeoplanting a range of species of plantsfor flood recovery in the local parkto enhance the amenity of the area.

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Financial ReportAnother three months have flownby as has the the end-of-financialyear (EOFY). The corporation hascompleted all the necessary EOFYtax obligations, and preparing theStatutory Accounts for auditing.Once the audit is complete, we canhold our Annual General Meetingand present the financial standingsof GLaWAC to the members.

We have received a couple of small grants to boost operations for corporation activities; Coastcarefor works by the Joint Managementand Whole of Country Planning toassist with a marketing tool tosupport the growth of thecorporation and the NRM(Enterprise) activities.

Gunaikurnai Enterprise is buildingan income, mainly by the sale offirewood and other contracts, andthe RAP income is consistent withcontinued works ‘on-country’.

The Corporation is steadyfinancially, and our investments andtrust monies generating soundinterest through good management,by our accountants and trust, bookkeepers and financial institutions.

This management is in accordancewith good accounting with thesupport of Crowe Horwath.

Lee-Anne Eddington GLaWAC Treasurer

The NRM Crew (left to right)Douglas Harrison, Robert Farnhamand Nigel Pearce at Flax LeafBroom weed-control site.

JM ReportSince the lastnewsletter the JointManagement CulturalRangers have beengoing very well withthree new membersjoining the crew. We have employed Grattan MullettJnr, Nicole Schaeche and KaylaWilson who are settling in very well.Kayla and Nicole have been employedspecifically to attend to sites wherefemale sensitivity is required, andthey are enjoying working with theguys when all together.

Still on staff, I have commenced mysecondment from Parks Victoria (PV)for the remainder of my 16-monthcontract, with the intention ofongoing employment at GLaWAC.My position at PV was GunaikurnaiProject Officer and since beingemployed at GLaWAC my role iscurrently JM Works Coordinator.

Let me introduce myself…I am Tony Finn, a proud Gunaikurnaiman having lived in and aroundBairnsdale and Bruthen most of my life. I am passionate about ourcultural heritage and constantlypassing it on to our young ones.My grandfather Jock Hood andgrandmother Margaret Bryant wereborn at Lake Tyers, and my motherMarion born on the riverbank of themighty Snowy in Orbost.

I am very excited to be workingwith GLaWAC and feel that I have a lot to offer the corporation with 15 years experience in the buildingindustry and 7 years being self-employed. During this time I wasbuilding supervisor for the localCommunity DevelopmentEmployment Programme (CDEP);

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being the first all-indigenousbuilding crew and apprenticeoperation. With my manyqualifications I completed aCertificate IV in Aboriginal CulturalHeritage Management (ACHM) atLatrobe University last year.

Cultural Works

The Rangers and myself foundseveral new Gunaikurnai siteswithin Lake Tyers that have notbeen recorded, and I am quitepleased Grattan Mullett Jnr foundan old spear which has been sentto the Office of Aboriginal AffairsVictoria (AAV) for carbon dating.

The crew has commenced works at Corringle Foreshore Reserve;providing service and improvementat the camping ground site, also ahuge ongoing project in the LakesNational Park hand pulling SeaSpurge, not-to-mention walkingtrack maintenance and facilityimprovements at Lonely Bay in theLake Tyers State Park.

Their work has also taken them toBuchan Caves doing siteimprovements of the creek bedsand flood debris; a cultural mappingproject on Raymond Island Reserveand developing a cultural project forLake Tyers State Park.

Cultural Rangers Training

To maintain a high level of works,the crew has been improving theirskills with Grattan havingcompleted his four-wheel drivingand Kayla chainsaw qualificationswhile she is still completing herCertificate III of Land ConservationManagement at VicForest.

Other courses are being planned to keep the Rangers skilled for anyworks required.

Tony FinnJM Works Coordinator

Below: Mick Farnham showing offthe new mower at the RAAF basefor the Transfield contract.

Our Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) continuesto be actively involved in Cultural HeritageManagement Plans (CHMP) across our RAParea; Cultural Awareness Training is also playinga big part for GLaWAC as we educate the widercommunity about our history and culture. We have re-submitted our RAP application to the Aboriginal Heritage Councilfor Far East Gippsland, Wilson Promontory and the north around MountHotham. The Heritage Council met this week and hope to get a positiveoutcome shortly.

The Board has decided to engage the ‘Right People for County Project’ tohelp with the Far East and Wilson Promontory disrupted boundaries. Furtherinformation will be sent to members as it comes to hand.

Keeping Place; we had a meeting with (GEGAC) Bairnsdale AboriginalCorporation again to work on GLaWAC taking over the Keeping Place inBairnsdale or maybe a shared arrangement with GEGAC, more meetings are planned with both Boards in the coming months.

Repatriation: we are working closely with the Museum of Melbourne to haveour people reburied back on-country. We are getting closer to having theremains delivered back to Gippsland, and in dong so the Board and Elder’sCouncil will decide on a place for the reburial of the remains.

Lloyd HoodCultural Coordinator

RAP ReviewGLaWAC News UpdateWelcome to another newsletter forthe Gunaikurnai Land and WatersAboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC)members...as mentioned lastedition we will endeavour toproduce a newsletter quarterly thatcoincides with the seasons...Summer – DecemberAutumn – MarchWinter – JuneSpring – September

If you wish to contribute, please forward your article and hi-resolution photos / images toadmin@glawac.com.au by no laterthan first of each of the abovemonths (ie 1 December etc to allowfor production and mailings by theend of those months).

Would you like toreceive the GLaWACNews by email?If you would like to receive thisnewsletter by email, please send anemail to admin@glawac.com.au,and we will update our Membershipdatabase with your current emailaddress.

Also, if you know of any membernot receiving any communicationfrom GLaWAC, please have themcall us on 03) 5152 5100 to ensurewe have their current mailing address.

DisclaimerOpinions expressed in ‘GLaWAC News’ are not necessarily those of GLaWAC. We donot guarantee the accuracy or accept anyresponsibility for the statements or commentsmade by the contributors in articles submitted.GLaWAC reserves the right to amend, alter ordelete any items, statements or articles which it feels is not in the best interest of GLaWAC or its members.

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Obituaries

Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation acknowledge the loss of some of our community members and pass on our condolences to the families.

Trevor MullettLinda ColburnJamie RoseMatthew SolomonStephen FosterUncle Norman (Jack) Hayes

Canoe LaunchThe unveiling of anAboriginal canoestructure at the historicSwing Bridge, Salemarked the completionof VicRoads’ Saleto Longford, SouthGippsland Highwayupgrade.The artwork project was funded byVicRoads, which sought out artistsColin Little and Deb Milligan afternoticing a similar project the pairhad completed in Briagolong.

Local artist Colin Little saidthe sculpture at the gateway toBriagolong served as a welcometo the area, as well as celebratingindigenous culture.

“Rob Ashworth from VicRoadsapproached us to be involved (withthe Aboriginal canoe structureproject),”he said.

“We worked in collaboration withsome Gunaikurnai people living inthe area, which makes it a projectof goodwill.” Mr Little said abouthalf a dozen members from theGunaikurnai Land and WatersAboriginal Corporation helpedcomplete the project.

Deputy premier and GippslandSouth MLA Peter Ryan said theartwork recognised the culturalsignificance of the surroundingwetlands for traditional owners, theGunaikurnai people.

The sculpture is located adjacent tothe heritage-listed Swing Bridge,and features a plaque which detailsthe cultural significance of the waterand its impact to the local people.

Article courtesy of Gippsland Times7

Top: The JM Cultural Rangers, Patrick Mullett, Bradley Hood, GrattanMullett Jnr and Richard Hood with MLA Peter Ryan and artist Colin Little.Middle: CEO Barry Kenny with artist Colin Little. Detail of the canoe end,to represent a flower and Bottom: overall image of the sculpture.

Leisure and Pleasure

Prawns on Toast with Lemon Myrtle MayonnaiseOlive oil, to brush6 slices sourdough, halved1 garlic clove, halved1/3 cup (100g) whole-egg mayonnaise1/3 cup (80g) sour cream2 teaspoon ground lemon myrtle* plus extra to serve18 cooked peeled prawns, deveined, halved lengthways 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Preheat a barbecue or chargrill pan on high heat. Brush oil over both sides of the bread. Grill bread, turning, for 1-2 minutes until charred. Rub warm bread with the cut side of the garlic.

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon myrtle in a bowl, then season. Toss the prawns with half themayonnaise mixture, then pile onto toasts. Sprinkle withparsley and a little extra lemon myrtle, then serve with theremaining mayonnaise mixture.

Serves 6 as a starter.

*Lemon myrtle is a native Australia plant with a lemongrass-like flavour and the aroma of lemon verbena; from delis and gourmet food shops

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Seasons Guide to Australia's Premier FishSeasons indicated may vary due to local factorsand conditions.

TOLMB Update

Since our last updatethe TOLMB hasprogressed nicelydeveloping...• Corporate Plan• Draft Communication Strategy• Draft Board Charter• Advertising for Consultant / s to

assist the TOLMB to prepare a brief for the Joint Management Plan (JMP)

• Vision, Purpose, Values, and Principles

• Executive Officer Recruitment• Annual Report• Meeting with the Parks Victoria

Board and Executive Staff• Meeting with Tim Bull Member

for Gippsland East• Meeting with GLaWAC Board of

Directors (TOLMB Chair and Deputy Chair)

The Corporate Plan was developedat the Board’s recent workshopsheld in Metung and Traralgon andseen as a working document to guidethe work and activities of the TOLMB.

The TOLMB recognise in it’s firstyear of operation, will need to focuson developing it’s governanceprocesses, strategies and mappingits relationships with key stakeholders.During this period the TOLMB willbe providing the Minister forEnvironment and Climate Changewith updates on the progress of ouractivities and this will be captured inthe TOLMB Annual Report for the2012-2013 period, which will becompleted and signed-off very soon.

We are building strong foundationsas the basis for our work whichentails the establishment for ouradministrative and office arrangements.

This arrangement will support therecruitment of a full-time ExecutiveOfficer, who we hope to haveemployed by early to mid 2014.

Our Acting Executive Officer CarmelHenderson has agreed to extendher secondment until the end ofJanuary 2014, with the placing ofadvertisements for this position inthe local and national media andGLaWAC News in the coming weeks.

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The TOLMB has identified and arecommitted to forming importantworking relationships with keystakeholders, such as GLaWAC,Parks Victoria (PV) and DepartmentEnvironment and Primary Industries(DEPI) to ensure the StateGovernment objectives for theTOLMB are achieved.

The key points of the partnershipagreement is that the JointManagement arrangements clearlycreates a ‘new operationalenvironment’ which requires an‘approach of shared responsibility’and true collaboration.

I look forward in providing the nextreport on further developmentsfrom the TOLMB in the next editionof GLaWAC News.

Grattan MullettChairperson

Above: A lovely view across the Corringle Foreshore Reserve

FIREWOODFOR SALEGunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation

through their Natural Resource Management business,Gunaikurnai Enterprise introduces the sale of premium

firewood to members and the public.

Dense drygrades of fireplace-ready, split, hot-burning mixed species of firewood. We offer collection or prompt delivery service for any amount to make sure you stay warm over winter.

Various locations will also stock our bagged wood, so look out for our GLaWAC or Gunaikurnai Enterprise logos...your support is much appreciate

a metre for collection at our depot in Eagle Point

a metre for deliveries locally in Bairnsdale, other areas can be quoted.

Bagged wood is also available...

Call the office 03) 5152 5100 or drop into197 Macleod Street Bairnsdale for more info

GunaikurnaiEnterprise

NEW FINANCIAL YEAR PRICES

Corringle ForeshoreParks Victoria hasproduced fact sheetson Gunaikurnai jointmanaged parks andreserves. This is thesixth to be publishedin the newsletter.Buchan CavesReserve, Tarra-Bulga,Gippsland Lakes,Mitchell River and TheLakes National Parkshave featured inprevious editions. Corringle Foreshore Reserve

Corringle Foreshore Reserve,situated at the mouth of the SnowyRiver estuary in East Gippsland,offers a relaxed coastal bushcamping experience in a naturaltea-tree setting close to the beach.Launch a boat at the ramp andexplore the Snowy River and itsbackwaters, or walk along thebeach to the entrance of the SnowyRiver. The Corringle slips area offersa relaxing destination for the angleror nature lover.

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Activities and Facilities

Corringle Slips is a relatively naturalcamping area close to the beach.Pit toilets, including a disabledaccess toilet close to the day visitorarea, picnic tables and wood-firedbarbeques are available. Water andboating activities can be enjoyedwithin the estuary, at Mots Beach,Sampsons Beach and up from theMarlo jetty. Swimming is notadvised, as the ocean beach atCorringle may be unsafe due tostrong rips and currents.

Interesting Facts aboutCorringle Foreshore Reserve

Corringle Foreshore Reserve wasestablished in May 1979 as part ofMarlo Coastal Reserve.

Area: 664.9 ha (Marlo CoastalReserve), 159 ha native title

Visitation: 1,000 – 10,000

Fauna and Flora

The most common fish caught areBream and Blackfish from theestuary, and Salmon, Tailor andGummy Shark from the beach.Birdlife is abundant and includesAustralian Darter, pelicans,swamphens and egrets.

Culture and Heritage

A slipway (or slips) is an inclinedplane or ramp serving as a landingplace for vessels to be built orrepaired. The slips, which are nolonger serviceable, were built bySamuel Richardson and Sonsduring the time when the OrbostShipping Company was operating.In the late 1890s Corringle was athriving rural community. Early in the 1920s the small town wascomplete with a school whichremained open for approximately10 years after which the buildingwas used for general housing. Withan influx of children in the 1940s anew school was built at a cost of£70 for materials. This school toohas since closed and the houses inCorringle Foreshore Reserveremoved to make way for thecampground and natural settingthat is seen today.

Key Projects

Key projects planned for CorringleForeshore Reserve include:

• Jetty and boardwalk repairs and maintenance

• Facilities maintenance (painting toilets, tables, signs, fences)

• Barbecue and picnic table installation

• Road and track vegetation slashing

• Weed spraying

More informationVisit www.parks.vic.gov.au or call 13 1963.

Corringle Foreshore Reserveboardwalk planned as a key project