Memorandum signed

The Monaro Ngarigo people, the traditional custodians of Mt Kosciuszko, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NSW Government.

Under the Memorandum, the Southern Snowy Mountains Aboriginal Community will be formally involved in the conservation of Kosciuszko National Park with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

Tom Bagnat, the Director of the Mountains and Metro branch of the NPWS, said that the agreement formally acknowledges both parties’ commitment to working together to care for the park’s Aboriginal places and spiritual and cultural values.

“This MOU provides Original Owners of Monaro-Ngarigo decent with an opportunity to reconnect to country and a clearly defined role in identifying and conserving Aboriginal cultural heritage in the southern section of the park,” Mr Bagnat said on a statement on the NPWS website.

Aunty Iris White told ABC News that the agreement had taken a decade to be formalised.

“Those of us that are my age, we were bringing our young children up here when we started the process, and now we have children that are bringing their children up here,” she said. “So for many of us there are actually four generations here for this signing, and that’s something pretty special for all of us.”

Kosciuszko Heritage, a long-time supporter of the Monaro Ngarigo people, hails the Memorandum as a very positive development for the community and a wonderful opportunity for its members to make important decisions around significant cultural sites.

More information can be found on the ABC News website.

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