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Barrunbatayi MemorialPrint Page Print this page

04-June-2015
04-June-2015

Photographs supplied by Sandra Brown

The Barrunbatayi Memorial was erected in memory of indigenous people buried in unmarked graves in the cemetery. The memorial features a series of memorial plaques which were unveiled in 2010 and includes a large, hand-painted timber cross and a rainbow serpent pathway.

A joint partnership between the Aboriginal community and Kempsey Shire Council has enabled dozens of unmarked graves to be acknowledged and remembered at the East Kempsey Cemetery. The East Kempsey Cemetery was surveyed using non-destructive radar as part of the Council`s action plan for reconciliation, and through consultation with the Dunghutti Aboriginal community the need for an appropriate memorial was established. Dozens of graves, some of which are up to 100 years old were detected through the survey. Due to the age of some of the graves, accurate marking of a precise site is near impossible, so a joint project between the community and Council has resulted in a fitting memorial boulder and plaque marking the area. This project marked a significant step forward in reconciliation in Kempsey and is seen as a fitting spiritual tribute to lost souls.

The first phase of the reconciliation project, which involved surveying the East Kempsey Cemetery using non-destructive ground penetrating radar to determine the location of unmarked graves, featured close consultation with the Dunghutti community and the unveiling of a special ‘Lost but not Forgotten’ memorial plaque set in a large boulder at the cemetery in mid December 2006.

 

Location

Address:Naiooka & East Streets, East Kempsey Cemetery, East Kempsey, 2440
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -31.088106
Long: 152.839584
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Culture
Sub-Theme:Indigenous

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Wednesday 8th July, 2009
Front Inscription

        [Names]

IN MEMORY OF THOSE
RESTING IN UNMARKED GRAVES

Plaque  : 

MEMORIAL UNVEILED
             by
Hon. Paul Lynch M.P.  
NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
  Aunty Shirley Kelly     
    Dunghutti Elder
     and
Clr. Dean Saul      
Deputy Mayor, Kempsey Shire Council

8th JULY 2009

Plaque : 

Smoking Ceremony and Water Blessing by 
Uncle Harold Smith and Aunty Marjorie Vale

Plaque :
NSW Planning
Kempsey Shire Council
Heritage Council of New South Wales

Funding for bronze plaques provided by
Heritage Council of NSW and the
NSW Department of Planning





 

Back Inscription

[ Names ]

Plaque : 

Unveiling of Memorial Plaques
Friday 10 October 2010
By: Mr Norman Laing, Member Heritage Council of NSW
Councillor John Bowell, Mayor of Kempsey Shire Council
Colleen Campbell - "Welcome to Country" 

Plaque :

Rest In Peace

Died  Aboriginal deaths recorded
(Date, Name & Details) 

Inscription in Proximity

MEMORIAL TO THOSE RESTING
IN UNMARKED GRAVES

Thank You To The Following Sponsors :

         [ Names ]

 

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au