Barrunbatayi MemorialPrint Page

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.

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