Central Spark would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land the Djaara People. We would like to pay our respect to the Ancestors of this Country and all their wisdom and teachings. We pay our respect to the Elders who carry on the guidance, wisdom and culture of this land. And we pay respect to the youth who we hope to partner with for a sustainable future. We acknowledge Country and its land, trees and waterways, particularly the sun!
Central Spark has an ongoing commitment to reconciliation and growing and moving forward together through supporting our community. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It Always was and Always will be, Aboriginal land.
Central Spark’s First Nations approach is to be as consultative and sensitive as possible and to seek where appropriate the input of the local indigenous community.
Before authoring our Acknowledgement of Country, we sought the assistance and input of Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation.
We were privileged to be visited by Maya and Zoe, who spent the afternoon with our staff, giving us valuable insight into the local customs of the region in which we trade.
Moving forward we plan to invite elder Uncle Rick Nelson to spend some of his valuable time with us and show us some important sites. Central Spark would always make a donation to local groups as requested for such input, and we would endeavor to listen and understand.
Learn more about Uncle Rick Nelson at waainc.com.au
We undertake to be proactive and always seek input on how to be a respectful and conscientious business whilst operating on Djaara traditional lands. This entails encouraging our staff, as they move around Djaara land, to make themselves aware of the local customs and various histories, and become informed through their own methods of listening and truth-telling.
Meeting Uncle Rick.
In August 2024 we gave the team a day off the tools to take the Waaman Tour, an Elder Led Cultural Tour of Jaara Country.
As we travel and do business in Jaara Country up and down the Loddon River, our hope is that our staff members are able to better understand and be aware of the rich history of the area.
We visited the site of the Aboriginal Protectorate School near Franklinford, and heard Uncle Rick’s personal take on the cultural distinctions among the Kulin Nation, with the Dja Dja Warung people possibly being the ‘yes people’ due to their generosity with ‘greenstone’ from Mount William, (traditionally known as Wil-im-ee moor-ing), a quarry near Lancefield. “The Mount William Aboriginal stone axe quarry comprises the remains of hundreds of mining pits and the mounds of waste rock where Aboriginal people obtained greenstone (diabase), and manufactured stone blanks for axe heads. Chipped and ground stone axes or hatchets were an essential part of Aboriginal toolkits in southeast Australia, with the Mount William greenstone being one of the most prized and extensively traded materials.”
At Eureka Reef, amongst the mining ruins we were shown some ancient water wells, likely known about for millennia by the Jaara peoples as they traversed Country. More information:Â
https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/news/2021/07/19/04/10/woven-together-by-spirit
We visited Vaughan Springs, which would have been an ongoing camp for local Jaara people and Uncle Rick showed us some significant rock cuttings used for food preparation. We heard some interesting stories about the Jaara peoples’ regular travels from Mount Alexander to Mount Franklin (Lalgambuk).Â
We were honoured to be treated to smoking ceremony, with native plants hand-selected by Uncle Rick.
We really enjoyed the day, and are very grateful for Uncle Rick’s time.
At Central Spark we are creating our own journey of truth-telling, listening and understanding.Â
We invite you to join us as we continue to learn. Please see the below resources …
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/djadjawurrung
Of particular interest here is information about Country, Language, clans, reported killings on Djaara Land, Protectorates and recognition.
Official Dja Dja Wurrung website, with a wonderful video story.
https://www.maggolee.org.au/naming-places
A resource to assist with Indigenous Place Names.
https://thewombatpost.com.au/2023/07/21/dja-dja-wurrung-language-returns-to-country/
https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/proposed-renaming-jim-crow-creek
Returning place names to their original ones. Larni Barrumul Yaluk, for example, a creek that runs through the Clydesdale area, west of Guildford, from the Hepburn region.
https://www.dhelkunyadja.org.au/appointed-lands/the-lands
The ‘Appointed Lands’ of the Board, and fall within the Country of the Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Owners. The Parks include: Hepburn Regional Park, Paddys Ranges State Park, Kooyoora State Park, Wehla Conservation Reserve, Greater Bendigo National Park and Kara Kara National Park. These six parks have been transferred to the Traditional Owners on Aboriginal Title, under the historic Dja Dja Wurrung Recognition and Settlement Agreement of 2013.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/david-marr-native-police-frontier-wars-colonial-australia/102882172
A revisionist take on Australian colonial history; a crucial aspect of ‘truth-telling’. To find out more about ‘truth-telling’ see here:
https://www.reconciliation.org.au/our-work/truth-telling/
https://ulurustatement.org/the-statement/view-the-statement/