The Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation, a

Registered Aboriginal Party A Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) is a recognised representative body of an Aboriginal Australian people per the ''Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006'' (Vic.), whose function is to protect and manage the Aboriginal cultural heritage in the state o ...

since 21 May 2009, represents the

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

people for the

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

and

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

areas. Their responsibility includes ensuring that the Aboriginal culture is maintained there. The organisation trades as Wadawurrung or Wathaurung. The Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation has offices based in Ballarat, and implements responsibilities as a Registered Aboriginal Party under the ''

Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 The ''Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006'' (AHA) of the state of Victoria, Australia was enacted "to provide for the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage in Victoria". It established Registered Aboriginal Parties to act as the "primary guardian ...

'', although a separate group, the

Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative The Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative is a community organisation based in Geelong, Australia that supports the social, economic, and cultural development of Aboriginal people within the Geelong and surrounding areas. It was formed in 1978 and ...

, based in Geelong, challenged the decision of the Aboriginal Heritage Council when the appointment was made.

Staff

The Byron Powell was appointed chairperson in 2009.

Sean Fagan Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

has been the Cultural Heritage Coordinator since 2011. Prior to that,

Bonnie Fagan Bonnie Fagan, now known as Bonnie Chew, is an activist and advocate for her Indigenous heritage, and has sat on the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council. Early and personal life Bonnie Fagan was born in 1979 in Footscray, Victoria, Australia. S ...

(Chew) was Cultural Heritage Coordinator from 2008 to 2011.

Cultural site mapping

Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation is using an application called CrestSX to map cultural sites, including sites that are significant for events now and back 25,000 years or more, when the

Wathaurung The Wathaurong nation, also called the Wathaurung, Wadawurrung and Wadda Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people living in the area near Melbourne, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula in the state of Victoria. They are part of the Kulin al ...

people first inhabited the Geelong, Ballarat, and the Bellarine Peninsula. The funding was made available through a grant from the William Buckland Foundation that allowed the Victoria University's Sir Zelman Cowen Centre to work with Iconix to develop a

geographic information system A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...

. The system will allow the Wathaurung people to map important sites, control the information, and share the information with land managers, such as catchment management authorities and

Parks Victoria Parks Victoria is a government agency of the state of Victoria, Australia. Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The ''Parks Victoria Ac ...

. Some sites are not self-evident. For instance, a

corroboree A corroboree is a generic word for a meeting of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It may be a sacred ceremony, a festive celebration, or of a warlike character. A word coined by the first British settlers in the Sydney area from a word in the l ...

tree was a meeting place for trading and dances. One red gum tree is one hundred years old and is located in

Buninyong Buninyong is a town 11 km from Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Midland Highway, south of Ballarat on the road to Geelong. Buninyong was proclaimed a town on 27 June 1851 on the same day as Winchelsea, Portarlington, L ...

in the middle of a busy residential street. Using the software, they are able "to identify the site, ndtrack its condition and management by recording its details and taking photos". Oral histories can be gathered to provide detail about a site's significance. The software has won a

National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

heritage award and an award by the City of Ballarat.

References

External links

Wathaurung Aboriginal CorporationWathaurung Rap area map
at DPC.Vic.gov.au {{Indigenous Australians Organisations serving Indigenous Australians

Staff

Cultural site mapping

See also

References

External links