Ballina Shire Council’s interpretive signage project is helping to fortify the relationship with the local Aboriginal community.
The award-winning project by Ballina Shire Council and key stakeholders is near completion after two years in the making.
The project will provide interpretive signage along a new coastal recreational path that runs between two of the coastline’s popular beaches, and traverses a significant historical site – the East Ballina Aboriginal Place.
The East Ballina Aboriginal Place was declared in 2012 under section 84 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 to formally recognise the Aboriginal cultural values of the place and its significance to Aboriginal people.
These values include the recognition of early colonial conflicts and the extensive cultural features and natural resources, including former wetlands and coastal ecosystems, which provide a continuing teaching resource for current and future generations.
The Aboriginal Cultural Ways Interpretive Signage Project has helped to fortify the ongoing relationship between Council and its local Aboriginal community.
Council acknowledged the extensive community input provided in the preparation of the material for the project and the hard work of many individuals and organisations.
This included extensive collaboration between Council, Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council, Ballina Shire’s Aboriginal community and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
Ballina Shire Council and the Jali Aboriginal Land Council have recently been awarded first in the State for the 2016 NSW Local Government Aboriginal Network Council Partnership Award for this project.
This award recognises a Council working in partnership with an external partner/s to make a significant contribution to
Aboriginal communities.
