NYUNGAH CIRCLE OF ELDERS
c/o PO GUILDFORD WESTERN AUSTRALIA
T: 08 9377 3550, 08 9279 6706 F:08 9377 3559

The Last of the Nyungah Elders who are standing to Save and Protect our Ancient Religion and Culture and Sacred Beliefs in the Land and not take money to sell our Sacredness

8.4.99

THIS IS TO LET THE PEOPLE KNOW.  WE ASK FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE¹S SUPPORT.

PRISON OR CULTURE

We the Nyungah People of the Swan River and Swan Valley and Swan Coastal Plains of Western Australia, the Last of the River People have always acted honourably and straight with the Government of Western Australia.  Our actions speak for themselves in the last 30 years of protest and standing for what we believe in, our Religion and Culture.

In 1989 to 1993 the then Labor Government of Brian Burke, Peter Dowding and Carmen Lawerence with the connivance of Bob Hawke as Prime Minister and Robert Tickner as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs acted dishonourably with the Nyungah People as a whole.  They allowed development, desecration and damage to our Ancient Religious Belief of the Waugal at the abandoned ex-Swan Brewery at Goonininup on the Swan River within the City of Perth.

The Government of the time threw away the opportunity for real reconciliation.  They continued to act like their ancestors before them, as invaders, colonisers, dominators, destroyers of the Oldest Living Culture in the world.

We warmed them at the time of the damage they were doing to us the Nyungah People.  It led to more death, loss of hope,
Aboriginal kids running wild on the streets, gluesniffing,  numbers in gaol, causing deaths in custody through disrepecting our warmings that this would occur if the tampering with and destroying our Culture didn't cease at the time.  Even 85% of white fellas were against them, but they decided

2. to tread the Iron Foot of the White Man upon our backs and let John Rioberts (Multipex) build there at a rent of $1.00 a year.

At the time, the Opposition of Richard Court supported the white people and the Nyungahs against this unwanted development.

Once again, today, the 8th Day of the 4th Month, 1999, we are fronting up to the domination and the pressure.

This time it is the Richard Court Government and the Minister for Justice, Mr Peter Foss.  He is riding roughshod over us again in another very Sacred Area on the Swan River where they want to set up a Womens Prison for 50 women.  Again it is in the very heart and the core of the Waugal (Rainbow Serpent) Dreaming.  It is right next door south to our community.  It is also against the wishes of the ratepayers of Success HIll, Eden Hill, Lockridge and the Bassendean Council of Western Australia.  All dirty tricks
in the trade are being used against us by the Government of Westtern Australia.

We ask you the indigenous People, wherever you may be, who are gathering there today in Queensland for your support in
standing with us as Indigenous People in trying to save and preserve our Indigenous Culture on behalf of us all.
Supporting us in ways of telegrams, letter writing to the Premier of Western Australia, Mr Court, and the Minister for
Planning, Mr Graham Kierath telling them that Mr Foss is wrong in his pushy way of trying to force his decision
making over and above and putting this Womens Prison on top of our Culture.

We are saying that he wants to establish this Womens Prison on top of our Religion and Culture.  It is the same as
putting it on top of our Ancestors Graves.  The living Spiritual Belief is still alive under the ground.  What we
want to say to our grandchildren and we want to say to them "It is still there".  We don't want to have to say to them
"It is under the Womens Prison".  That will hurt them and us.  It is an insult.  We don¹t want that Women¹s Prison
there.  It is a sickness to our grandchildren¹s health and to us old people.  It is condemning our lives.  This applies
to all Nyungah people of the South-west of Western Australia.

Our proposal was to share the land with whitefellas and establish the Nyungah Cultural University and other
community purposes for all.

3.
We ask all the Indigneous People and all other peoples world wide for your support and to spread this far and wide.

We ask for support and letters to be sent direct to Paul Murray of the West Australian or Wendy Pryer, because they
don¹t respect our Religion and Culture, and Channel 10 and the ABC.  Or email may the Swan Valley Nyungah Community on
svnc@nyungah.org.au with your show of support.
 
Robert C Bropho
for the Swan Valley Nyungah Community
and the Nyungah Circle of Elders
and the Combined Ntaive Titlke Claimants for the
Metropolitan Area and Swan Coastal Plains.

 
********************************
Swan Valley Nyungah Community
svnc@nyungah.org.au
http://www.nyungah.org.au/
********************************