Connecting with Country from the ground up

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The team has started working on a program of work to raise awareness about the native vegetation on the site and re-purpose suitable bark and trees to create furniture and other items for the precinct.

It's all part of our commitment to genuine collaboration with our Aboriginal community and was borne out of a meeting in April with Bahtabah Aboriginal Land Council where we learned more about native flora and fauna and its role in Aboriginal culture. 

After this, the team invited representatives from Bahtabah, Birabahn, Worimi and the Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Councils to walk through the construction site before any land is cleared. 

Walking alongside team members, they identified valuable trees and trees that were to be retained and gifted to the Land Councils so they can be turned into furniture and other artefacts. 

Aboriginal Engagagment Manager Sheryn Barrack, said that site engineers can now identify different types of trees and tell the difference between various plant types to the point where construction workers are able to use their newly learned knowledge of Country to identify which plants can be used for bush medicine.

Additionally, the site walks promote ecological and cultural safety by educating site designers, engineers and workers on the new build.

For more information email Sheryn Barrack, Aboriginal Engagement Manager or read more about what we're doing to engage with our Aboriginal community here.