The Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council celebrated its 33rd anniversary on Tuesday, May 30.
The organisation held a morning tea for the whole community to celebrate the occasion.
When discussing the milestone, Darkinjung Chief Executive Officer, Mr Sean Gordon, said he was proud of the success the Land Council had achieved over the years.
“It has been a pleasure to be able to watch Darkinjung grow over the years,’ Mr Gordon said.
“In my position as a CEO, which I have held since 2008, I have witnessed a number of truly historic achievements, and I am honoured to be a part of such a passionate and committed organisation,” he said.
“The work we do is for the benefit of not only our members and our Aboriginal community, but also the wider Central Coast community, and we are constantly looking at ways to provide economic growth and sustainability for our region.”
In the recent years, Darkinjung has celebrated many successes and achievements, including the rejection of the Calga Sand Quarry extension, following Darkinjung’s long standing protests and the lodgement of a number objections to the Land and Environment Court.
The Land Council has successfully developed almost 110 lots and provided homes for dozens of families at Darkinjung’s Menindee Ridge residential development at Blue Haven.
It has established a partnership with Lendlease, project managers for the Gosford Hospital redevelopment, to ensure Aboriginal participation in the project through the facilitation of apprenticeships and training.
The establishment of Darkinjung Barker College in 2016, which provides a safe and culturally appropriate learning environment for Aboriginal children on the Central Coast, was another significant achievement, Mr Gordon said.
The Land Council has successfully placed dozens of school-based and full-time trainees in Commonwealth Bank branches across the Central Coast through Darkinjung’s partnership with CBA.
The proposal for new developments on the Central Coast, including a cultural facility at Mangrove Mountain, and a manufactured home estate at Halekulani, named Guruwarang Waters, are other achievements.
So too are a number of community initiatives to promote Aboriginal culture on the Central Coast, including the Painting of the Hoardings outdoor art exhibition at Terrigal.
Darkinjung Chairperson, Ms Tina West, commented on the organisation’s vast history.
She said the Land Council had always been focused on improving the lives of its members and the community.
“Since 1984, Darkinjung’s goal has been, and continues to be, enhancing the health and wellbeing of our community,” Ms West said.
“We have achieved this by providing community participation events for our members to attend, focusing on economic development to allow us to be self-sustaining, and protecting our land, environment and culture through countless land claims,” Ms West said.
Source:
Media release, May 29
Ashleigh Milne, Brilliant Logic