A group dedicated to managing our natural resources and working with local Aboriginal communities is celebrating 10 years of successful projects in the region.
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The Northern Tablelands Aboriginal Reference Advisory Group is an alliance of the 10 Local Aboriginal Land Councils in the region which promotes natural resource management.
“After ten years of up-skilling Aboriginal people, the ARAG deserves to be congratulated,” ARAG representative and Amaroo Local Aboriginal Land Council Chief Executive Officer Mark Davies said.
ARAG: What you need to know
- ARAG brings together Local Aboriginal Land Councils across the Northern Tablelands to better understand the Aboriginal community’s perspective on land issues.
- The group focuses on upskilling Aboriginal people to combine their traditional knowledge with the latest science.
- The Northern Tablelands ARAG has been so successful that it has become the model for other Local Land Services across NSW.
- Current members include representatives from Amaroo (Walcha), Thungutti (Bellbrook), Armidale, Guyra, Anaiwan (Inverell/Tingha), Ashford, Guyra, Glen Innes, Moombahlene (Tenterfield), Jubullum (Drake/ Tabulam) and Toomelah.
Celebrating a 10 years
Local Harry White from Northern Tablelands Local Land Services has served in the role of ARAG Executive Officer since 2009.
He said the ARAG combined traditional ecological knowledge passed down from Aboriginal communities with scientific knowledge.
“You put the two together and you’ve got a pretty deadly combination,” he said.
“The purpose of that is to get our people back onto country again, to reinvigorate their enthusiasm about looking after the land, to practice and to revisit past traditional land management practices so they can... demonstrate the effectiveness of land management to the wider community,” he said.
Mr White said he watched the ARAG grow from a loosely based group uncertain about its future direction to a strong and established network.
“It’s been a privilege and an honour to work with Land Councils and Aboriginal communities in Northern NSW. The Northern Tablelands ARAG is a model that has been replicated in many other Local Land Services regions across NSW,” Mr White said.
Mr White said the unique model took shape over a number of years, as the ARAG shifted from community members to having Local Land Council representatives.
“The Aboriginal Land Councils are the peak Aboriginal body of knowledge for each region,” he said.
The ARAG’s projects range from waste management and the reclaiming of land used as a rubbish dump in Tabulum to creating a ‘living classroom’ in a traditionally owned property in Amaroo.
Anaiwan Land Council, based in Tingha, recently hosted a traditional basket weaving and string making workshop.
“It was a huge, huge success. It was reinventing a lot of the old traditional methods which otherwise would be lost,” Mr White said.
The ARAG was first established under the Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority in 2007 in an effort to better engage with the Aboriginal community.
When the CMA transitioned into Northern Tablelands Local Land Services in 2014, the ARAG was retained to foster respect for and maintain effective communication with Aboriginal communities.
Mr Davies said the advisory group continued to grow in achievements and scope of activities.