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Back to SearchGlobal professional services company, GHD, has worked with the NSW Government’s land and property development organisation, Landcom to facilitate the transfer of a historically significant site to its traditional custodians, the Dharug people.
Established in 1823, the Blacktown Native Institution was one of the earliest known examples of institutional removal of Aboriginal children from their families. The site, a former school for children removed from their families, is a living memorial to Australia's Stolen Generations.
The site was recently handed over by Landcom to Dharug Strategic Management Group, a community group of Dharug representatives incorporated as a non-for-profit organisation. The transfer was celebrated on 13 October at an historic event to mark the handover.
Landcom Executive General Manager, Projects, Scott Gregg said the handover event was important recognition of the Dharug people, who have occupied this land for 60,000 years. “The strong connection the Dharug people have to the land was confirmed through our consultation with the Dharug community over many years. Returning the land to them is a profound step in the journey of reconciliation.”
For the past 20 years, Landcom has worked with various community and Indigenous groups, technical consultants, and Blacktown City Council to discuss ownership options and future plans for the Blacktown Native Institution site, given its heritage and cultural significance.
Landcom engaged GHD to continue the consultation process and has been working with members of the Dharug community for the past five years. The company’s role has included developing a draft plan of management for the site through extensive community and stakeholder consultation, a business case for the transfer, helping the Dharug Strategic Management Group incorporate, and managing the celebration event.
“Our Engagement, Communication & Communities team helps clients understand who their stakeholders are, what matters to these communities, what does and does not impact or affect them, and how to best engage and communicate for social acceptance and sustainability,” says Lauren Harding, GHD’s Senior Social Sustainability Consultant.
“It has been a privilege to help secure a new future for this historic site that is so significant to the Dharug people, and to Australia’s history. The strong relationship that we have been able to develop with the Dharug community members, our commitment to the project and strong client relations have seen our involvement grow over time.”
The Dharug Strategic Management Group (DSMG), which was formed to protect the future of the BNI site for all Dharug people, emphasises the importance of the land handover for Australian history.
“Having the Blacktown Native Institution site returned to the Dharug people is not just an act of reconciliation - the very act of working towards this handover was reconciliation in practice,” says DSMG Board Director Dr Shane Smithers.
“The repatriation delivers a strong foundation on which to truly move forward in healing and understanding, and in honouring our ancestors, our history, our way,” says DSMG Board Director Julie Webb-Jones.
“The site provides a space for all Dharug clans and people, to renew their spirit, to rebuild energy, to connect to, to hold ceremony, to remember.”
GHD’s Reconciliation Action Plan sets out the company’s commitment for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to create lasting community benefit.