LETTER: Congratulations to the Elders and Custodians on bringing the GKNP to fruition

DEAR News Of The Area,

LAST week’s NOTA had a wonderful article from the Gumbaynggirr custodians, which emphasised the significance of the koalas and forests and the importance of their protection.

The Great Koala National Park Bill will contribute to the protection.

Then there was an article by Gurmesh Singh MP which didn’t even touch on the significance of the thousands of years of protection by the Gumbaynggirr people.

Not only did Gurmesh not indicate whether or not he had listened to Gumbaynggirr Elders but he talked about the First Fleet and a koala not being recorded by Europeans for another 10 years.

This is a gloss-over of history and an insult.

So Gurmesh voted against the Bill, using the excuse that it was primarily about carbon credits.

That is really twisting the significance of what the koalas and the forests and the other fauna and flora mean to Gumbayniggirr people and to all people.

They are treasures to be protected.

I say to anyone, go out to North Bellingen, out to the Promised Land, and see the bareness that logging has done. It’s a destruction that hits you with a bang.

I think it’s reasonable and fair that people working directly in the logging industry are supported to transition to other work and are supported financially. All industries come and go for different reasons.

I understand that there are still other areas needing protection to form bridges for transitioning between areas and hopefully those will be the next achievements.

I congratulate the Elders and Custodians and all others for their years of activism bringing the Great Koala National Park to fruition.

Regards,

Dianne Jacobus,

Bellingen.