The Bangerang People - GANEAA



Genocide on Paper … 2016

The Bangerang or Pangerang People

( insert photo of group )

A True Story Of The Attempted Extinction

Of An Aboriginal Tribe

Foreword

The Book you are about to read tells the story of the Bangerang People who since time began , were the Traditional owners and custodians of North Eastern Victoria and Areas of the Southern Riverina New South Wales .

This book takes the reader through the Bangerang ( Also written as Pangerang ) country and lifestyle and then onto the arrival of the European Settlers who invaded the Bangerang country and took it for their own .

It also tells of the struggles which followed for the survivors and their treatment .

The Book contains documented maps and evidence which researchers and historians have compiled since 1878 which prove beyond doubt that the Bangerang People were the Original people of the area .

Then , the reader will be amazed at the recent treatment and ongoing discrimination which the Bangerang descendants have had to endure and will find what ensues unbelievable .

Except for the facts and evidence , which are contained in this book , anybody could find it really hard to believe , that it is all true .

This Book shows the events which have “ deliberately attempted ” to bring the Bangerang People into “ non-existance ” and then it goes on to show the reader the steps taken by correspondence etc to have their Identity regained .

I have used the word “ deliberate ” because if somebody knows that they are doing wrong and still goes ahead and does it .. that is deliberate .. !!

Chapter one …Bangerang Country .

The entire documented Boundary of the Bangerang Nation is shown on the map on the next page and as the reader will see , goes approximately from the Great Dividing Range Vic in the south and to Waddi N S W in the north then easterly to Chiltern ( Mt Pilot ) Vic , and westerly to Echuca Vic .

( INSERT MAP )

This is a very vast area and the nation was made up of many sub-clans who were the responsible custodians of their clan area , many of these clans were named after their area and ended with Ban on their name to show that they were part of the Bangerang nation .

Examples are the Moiraduban , Kiallaban , Towroonban , Wangarattaban , and so on .

The pronunciation of B and P was not like any letter in the English alphabet therefore , some researchers wrote Bangerang and some wrote Pangerang it was as close they could get …. never-the-less they are one and the same people , and to save any extra writing from now on I will just write Bangerang .

The Boundaries were well known by the clans of their area and were sometimes hill or mountain ranges and were respected by their neighbouring tribes , and vice versa , for example the Great Dividing Range just south of Mansfield was the divider between the Bangerang and their neighbours The Brabalung People ( Gunnai Kurnai Nation ) whose country goes right down to the ocean .

Another example was the ranges just east of Morundah N.S.W which separated the Bangerang from the Wiradjuri , and north of the Black Range

( north of Jerilderie ) which once again separated Bangerang from Wiradjuri

This vast area has been well documented and researched by historians etc as you will see on the following maps .

The entire Bangerang area was a great mixture of different types of country which could sustain the people in any given seasonal situations from rich fertile river country to undulating rises and open plains and hill and mountain ranges .

The whole country was utilized by each of the sub-clans in order to survive in any drastic seasonal changes such as drought , or floods , etc , but in normal times they kept to their own designated areas .

The Bangerang lands had many different types of diversity and many sub-clans traded items which could not be obtained from their area with others .

( INSERT PHOTOS OF COUNTRY )

For example , around the open plains of the Jarreelban ( Jerilderie ) also written as “ Jeithi ” area there are no suitable hard stones to be found to make tomahawks or other tools with .

However the Jarreelban people used to make beautiful lightweight reed fishing spears with extremely hard points from the Boree trees which grow in that area , and these were traded for ironstones , to make axe heads etc , with southern clans .

This is just one example of how the clans traded and kept contact with each other .

Chapter Two … Bangerang Language

Because of such a distance between the north , south , east , and west , of the entire Bangerang Nation some of the clans had different words ( dialects ) for some meanings , however , each clan knew each others “ dialect ” and could communicate quite easily but to anyone who did not know , it would be quite confusing .

Here are the words of Western Bangerang language written by E M Curr

( Historian ) in 1886 .

The Bangerang clans whose custodianship country was adjacent to a neighbouring Tribe coluld also speak that tribe’s language for any communication situations .

( INSERT CURRS WORDS )

And here are the words written down of Eastern Bangerang language by Annie Lewis / Dowling ( nee Milawa ) in 1900 whose Pangerang mother

( Luana Milawa ) saw the first white settlers streaming into the Wangaratta Valley .

( INSERT ANNIES WORDS )

Sounds like two different languages don’t they , yet each clan and all the other clans understood each other and could communicate quite freely .

I will give you an example of this ..

( INSERT EXAMPLE )

Many Towns and Pastoral properties within the Bangerang lands still carry the Bangerang words , and you can find the meaning them in the lists of words .

Some Pastoral properties names are, Willawa ( possum creek ) Puckawidgie

( sit in the shade ) Bullawah ( two waters ) Goolgumbla ( plains turkey ) plus Widgiewah ( shady water ) and so many more , too many to mention .

The Bangerang language is a sweet flowing language and pleasing to listen to , for instance Bobbinaworra ( the pelican ) Jillamatong ( waterfall ) Millylung ( the waterhen ) Thargooreeang ( where are you going ) etc .

Many of the words for birds are similar to the calls they make such as Guritcha Guritcha ( willywagtail ) Yirradwor ( the magpie ) and Bahcarrarch( the white cockatoo ) and Wurutu ( the butcher bird ) .

It must always be remembered that the Aboriginal People had no written language until European “ Invasion ” and therefore all early written words were written by Europeans and they could only write those words as close as they could decipher them to English .

For example the word Bibjilbah ( white ibis ) has been written as Peechelbah and every nightfall thousands of Ibises still congregate in that area to this very day to roost for the night .

As , in all Aboriginal languages Australia-wide , the sounds of the following

letters S , F , V , X , did not appear in their vocabulary , and therefore they do not appear in the Bangerang language either .

It must also be remembered that the Aboriginal language had many sounds in their vocabulary which were so different to what Europeans were used to and to write the language exactly as they heard it was not an easy task .

For example what has been written as P or B was actually a sound kind of in between both and was pushed out of the lips like a Buh or Pwuh and this is why some researchers wrote Pangerang and some wrote Bangerang .

Another example is the pronunciation words with a double RR , this was pronounced with a roll of the tongue and sounded like a Whirr , another unusual sound to European ears , and has been sometimes written as a TH .

For instance , the town of Jerilderie was named after the local clan of that area whose name was the Jarreelban people and their name for the area was Jarreeldree ( meaning place of reeds ) and one researcher , when writing what he was told , wrote Jeithi because that what the Whirr of the double RR sounded like to his ears , which I suppose is quite understandable .

However , in order to keep the Bangerang language and culture alive it really is important to try to get the spelling accurate to the pronunciation or the whole concept can be distorted .

An example of this is the word Boori ( the double OO as in door ) which means baby , recently a program has been initiated to cater for young children and it has been spelt Burri , and therefore , can quite easily be pronounced differently to the traditional word .

Another one is Kialla ( the Goulburn river ) some writers write it as

Kaiela , this can also be pronounced wrongly . ( I have heard this word pronounced as Kayeela ) .These may seem like small matters but they can undermine the true culture and can lose the real spoken language .

Chapter Three … Bangerang Lifestyle

The Bangerang people were very religious , and their whole life revolved around BYAMEE , The Creator of all things .

Their stories of creation have been told from generation to generation for thousands of years , and their everyday life was a constant reminder of Byamee’s great creations , every bird they saw , every animal they saw , every tree and plant and landscape feature , each and every day was a wonder to them , and they knew each one of the creation’s story .

Their Totem system was passed down from probably the wisest of men this planet has ever known , and it ensured their everlasting existence without changing their environment in any way for thousands of years and would be still be the same today if Europeans had not came here .

Their intelligence was superb , they invented the Boomerang , ( Isaac Newton once tried to make one but could not get it to return to him )

they invented the Woomera and the Didgeridoo , and all their other inventions , but the most important thing was , an everlasting lifestyle without harming their environment in any way .

The elders were respected and were seen as wise men who could recount any of the creation stories at any given moment , and when asked by a youngster why is such and such the way it is they would never answer “ I don’t know ” but would tell the story and end with “ And that is why the blue tongue lizard’s tongue is blue .” or whatever the story was about .

The Bangerang People believed in reincarnation and believed that their totem spirit would return as whatever their totem was , ensuring that whatever it was would be perpetuated and this helped certain animals etc from ever being wiped out .

The Koala was the overall Totem animal for the Bangerang People and only the spirits of esteemed members of the tribe returned as a Koala , this is why the Koala was never seen or drawn as a food animal and was never harmed in any way and it is also why the Koala does not hide in hollows , because they know who they are , and they know no one will harm them .

( INSERT PICTURE OF KOALA )

The Bangerang Women were treated with great respect and held in great awe by the Men .

Only women can have babies and keep the numbers in the clan strong and the Women were therefore protected at any cost .

The Women had special birthing places which were forbidden by males of any age and were always in a secluded area with clean fresh water available .

( INSERT PHOTO OF BOORI JILLAMATONG )

These areas were guarded by warriors who would put a swift end to any male who ventured into them , so nobody ever did .

No man was allowed to have a wife until he had spent the “Isolation Period ”

of about three months fending for himself alone away from the clan .

During this time he was not allowed to have any help from anyone to survive and after this time had passed he was then considered to be able to support a wife and also appreciate her company .

People of conflicting totems were not allowed to marry each other because they would never be able to have an everlasting relationship and would end up fighting each other , or maybe even worse , and therefore cause trouble for the everyone in the clan .

There were no Jails and anyone stupid enough to break the laws was either killed or banished , there was no room for people who could disrupt the smooth running of the clan , and everybody was taught this from the day they were born .

Guards were also on duty on high lookout posts to make sure that anybody venturing into the clan area was known beforehand and could not have a

“ surprise ” visit .

Most of these lookout posts all had a rock well on them so that whoever was on guard did not have to leave their post for a drink .

( INSERT PHOTO OF ROCK WELL AND STORY )

Finding enough food was never a problem because before European settlement kangaroos and other food animals were in their thousands and the waterways were thick with fish , turtles , and waterbirds , and the hunters were expert at catching them with nets , fish traps , etc and they were all expert in the use of hunting weapons .

Plus , their totem systems ensured that it would always be that way .

Every person in the clan was given ( mostly at birth but sometimes at initiation age ) a food animal or plant as their totem .

Each person believed that when they died their totem spirit would return as whatever their totem was , and so they were obliged to learn everything about their totem so that they would know what to expect when their time came .

This way every animal , bird , fish , etc was investigated by members of the clan and the whole clan knew everything about each animal etc .

Each and every animal etc was held in respect of their place in the ecological system , and was respected as being maybe one of their own clan members from a past life .

This did not stop anyone from killing an animal etc for food purposes and was only seen as sending them into their next life journey , however , no animal was ever killed or harmed unless for food .

No person was allowed to kill or harm their designated totem , but they were permitted to eat their totem as long as somebody else from another totem had killed it .

How this worked was , when a hunting party went out on a hunt the party was made up from people from different totems , so that they were not all hunting the same animal , this ensured that no animal was overhunted in any given area .

After the hunt the people whose totem was duck , could eat some duck that was killed by a kangaroo totem person and vice versa , this way they did not all kill ducks or kangaroos or whatever they hunted .

Thus , no animal was ever under the threat of being wiped out of any area , this was their supermarket , and had to last them for eternity .

Just like any people , there were some who were expert at certain things such as making spears and other everyday needs and these skills were traded with others who had a different skill .

Sounds like a perfect world doesn’t it …… it was ..!!

And all thanks to those wisest of wise ones , who made the laws .

The laws were very seldom broken , because they all made perfect sense and were taught to , and lived by , by everyone from early age .

Each custodian clan was responsible for their own area and kept it clean and fresh by burning off the old foliage each year during the cooler months to create new fresh pastures for their “ supermarket ” animals .

Many native plant and tree seeds actually need the heat of a fire to germinate them , plus the burning off covers the land with potash to keep the soil healthy .

Burning off also ensured that during the hot summer months there was no excess undergrowth which could cause a drastic bushfire in the advent of lightning strike etc , which would be devastating for the people and the animals they depended upon for their survival .

The irony of this , was when the European settlers arrived into Bangerang country they found a lovely fresh green fertile valley … and wanted it ..!!

Chapter Four … The settlers arrive .

In 1837- 1838 the European settlers streamed into the Bangerang lands with their sheep , cattle , horses and wagons ….. and guns ..!!

What they found was lush country to begin their farmlands on , however , this country was already inhabited by the Bangerang People .

Because the Bangerang people did not have sheep , cattle , or any farm animals which the settlers were accustomed to , and no houses or farm buildings these settlers could not understand that the Bangerang People were a highly sophisticated and organized people who had lived this way for over forty thousand years .

They just moved in and took what they wanted and the law of THEIR homeland gave them the okay to do it .

Any resistance by the Bangerang people was met with guns and any other means of forcible removable , even murder by poisoning etc .

At that time there was no benevolence to help the Bangerang people in their plight …. just get rid of them ..!

The Bangerang people saw all their laws , culture , and everything which Byamee had provided for them being desecrated , and tried to fight back to regain their way of life , but spears were no match for guns and many of the Bangerang people were killed in defence of their land .

Even the white man’s army and police gave assistance to the settlers .

There are numerous documented accounts of murders and massacres of the Bangerang people already written in books , so therefore , they will not need to be written in detail here again , it would be another book of its own .

Eventually , any Bangerang people who survived were rounded up and forced to live on reserves and missions , their land stolen and their forty thousand years old culture and way of life taken from them .

The only thing they had left was their identity as being the Bangerang people and the Traditional Owners of their country .

Chapter Five …Their descendants .

Those Bangerang survivors on the missions were forced to give up their old culture and were given new names , and were expected to live just like Europeans from then on … however , after forty thousand years of one way of life and then thrust into another culture , which they knew was not nowhere as good as their old culture , it was a hard road to travel for them .

However , their old culture as being survivors in a harsh environment was the very thing that got them through those hard times … and they made it .!!

Today , their descendants are still surviving and many of them still remember their culture and stories that have been handed down for countless generations , even though they have had to adjust to the modern way of life .

And they still had their proud identity of who they are and who their ancestors were , and nobody could take that from them .

( INSERT PHOTOS OF BANGERANGS )

However , now , even the only thing they have left … their identity … is in jeopardy ..!!

What …You might ask …??

How and why , in this day and age , with all these flash words like SORRY , RECONCILIATON , JUSTICE , CLOSE THE GAP , ETC … why should the Bangerang People’s Descendants , who have had to go through their whole lives knowing what happened to their beloved ancestors …. now have to fight for their identity .

Okay I will show you , and just in case the reader may find it all hard to believe , I will provide all the evidence to prove it .. !!!

…………………………………………….

So far I have enjoyed writing about my ancestors the BangerangPeople and letting the reader know of their wonderful way of life and how it used to be .

However , this next chapter is one that I wish that I should never have had to write , but duty to my people demands it ..!!

Chapter Six … A Stacked Deck … The Unbelievable

Since 1878 and maybe even earlier historians and researchers have been doing research on Aboriginal Tribes , and they have written books and made maps of Tribal Boundaries which are available to anyone who is interested in Aboriginal History .

Each and every one of them has documented and mapped the Bangerang People as being the traditional people of their area , and this has been at least one consolation for the Bangerang descendants , knowing that their ancestors were at least acknowledged and not forgotten .

(Insert maps )

After the Eddie Mabo Native Title case , the Bangerang People were not worried about Native Title , because as you can see by all these maps documented by numerous researchers the Bangerang People were already recognized as the Traditional owners and the maps were our “ deeds ” of ownership .

HOWEVER , in 1994 a meeting was called for all Aboriginal people of the Shepparton Region to come to the hall in Edward Street Shepparton ( I was there ) and we were all informed that a Native Title Claim Application was going to lodged …. and the claim was going to be called the Yorta Yorta Community Claim , and we were showed the claimed area up on the wall .

( INSERT YORTA YORTA COMMUNITY CLAIM MAP )

SOMEBODY HAD CLAIMED THE BANGERANG COUNTRY .!!

One Bangerang Elder yelled out “ This is an act of war against the Bangerang People because the area you have claimed is Bangerang land ”

Other Bangerang Elders also objected , but were told it is still Bangerang but it is only going under the “ Umbrella name ” of Yorta Yorta Community .

Anyway , the Yorta Yorta Community group still went ahead and lodged their claim . ( Note ,, the claim was only Yorta Yorta “ COMMUNITY ” Versus the Government , not Tribe or Clans )

The Bangerang people called their own meeting , and after much discussions they were told it is too late to do anything about it because the Yorta Yorta Community claim had been lodged , and they will just have to let it run it’s course .

The Bangerang People were not worried too much about it anyway because they knew that the Government and everybody else knew that it was all Bangerang Land and the claim would fail anyway .

Plus , in the Bangerang language the words Yorta Yorta mean “ No No ” so how could a No No claim by a group called the No No Community claiming the Historically Documented Bangerang Traditional land ever be successful .

Anyway , after Ten years of court battles the Yorta Yorta Community claim was finally extinguished in the Federal High Court in 2002 .

The Bangerang People breathed a sigh of relief , and thought , “ Everything will be back to normal again ”

The only problem was that during those years between the claim application and the extinguishment , a lot of people , thinking that the claim would win and they would have lots to gain from it put up their hands and declared they were Yorta Yorta , and once they had said it , couldn’t go back .!!

Then however “ somehow ” , the Bracks Government made a deal with the Yorta Yorta Community in 2004 and “ somehow ” gave them the rights to SOME of the land they claimed ( which was only a map they drew themselves which they admitted in the Federal Court , and had no historical documentation )

There was no consultation whatsoever with the genuine Traditional Owners the Bangerang People ..!!!!

Then a new map compiled by David Horton commissioned by A I A T S I S

came into circulation … and guess what … this map completely removed the Bangerang People from it , and moved others in , to cover their land and now included for the first time EVER .. Yorta Yorta … and also moved in others to cover the Traditional Bangerang Country ..???

I would like to speak to him face to face and hear his explanation for erasing the Bangerang People . ( or explain it to the Judge and courtroom ) .

( INSERT EXCERPT FROM HORTON MAP )

This map was actually made in 1994 , the very same year that Yorta Yorta Community lodged their claim .. and suddenly , Yorta Yorta become a Tribe instead of just a Community … what a very mysterious coincidence ..??

Especially , owing to the fact that Yorta Yorta did not exist on any of the historically documented maps or any other documented literature prior to 1994 as you can see for yourself by these maps in this book …. so , how did he ever come to that conclusion .. ??

Anyway , the only fact that matters is that David Horton completely erased the Bangerang People from his A I A T S I S Aboriginal Australia map which is sold and advertised as … quote … “ The Nations Bible for Traditional Tribal Boundaries and a must for any and every classroom and office ” .!!

And yet , A I A T S I S declare in writing , that .. quote .. “ These views are only of the author and not Aiatsis ” … huh ..???

Ever since this A I A T S I S map has been circulated the Bangerang People have been left out of important events such as Registered Aboriginal Party etc .

Even advertised ranger positions in Parks Victoria have discriminated against and excluded , the Bangerang People , in their very own traditional land …see what I mean by unbelievable ..why ..?

Could it be that because , according to the A I A T S I S Horton map “ The Bangerang People don’t exist anymore ” . ??

This “ wrong ” A I A T S I S map is being used by historically un-informed people everywhere , on office walls , schools , it has appeared on The First Australians , Writers exhibit it in their books , It has appeared on the Footy Show and even a Quilt was made of it in an exhibition in Melbourne .

( You might even have one in your office . )

I have written to the Principal of A I A T S I S and the Federal Ombudsman and protested about it .. and these letters and their replies are here for the reader to check out .

( INSERT LETTERS AND REPLIES TO AIATSIS and Ombudsman )

I have also explained during phone calls to them that these are not just allegations or accusations , they are actually facts , and the evidence is right there in front of their eyes .

The Bangerang People have also contacted the Victorian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and our local Federal Parliament Member and are still waiting for their outcomes ..!

( insert photo of Jeanette Powell , Uncle Sandy and Marlene )

Then , in 2007 the Victorian Labour Government invited Traditional Owners to apply for the position of being the Registered Aboriginal Party for their traditional area .

The Government’s Heritage Council appointed their own hand picked panel which they called the “ Council Of Eleven ” to make the application decisions ( no Bangerang on the panel ) .

The Bangerang Culture Centre which was already a registered co-operative applied for their historically researched , mapped and documented area .

Then , strangely , “ someone ” from the Heritage Council contacted Yorta Yorta and informed them of the Bangerang Application .

Two weeks later , the Yorta Yorta put in their application , ONCE AGAIN claiming the traditional documented lands of the Bangerang People .

The “ Council Of Eleven ” rejected the Bangerang Application and approved the Yorta Yorta application , even though Yorta Yorta had no historical documented evidence of being the rightful traditional owners .. !!!

This left the Bangerang People , kept out of , and with no say or input , into any decisions regarding their over 40 ,000 year traditionally owned land .

What repercussions could come from this , well , here is just one instance .

In 2011 a mining company sought to mine bluestone to make cement from a hill near Chiltern which is known as Skeleton Hill , known as this because it was an interim burial ground used by the Bangerang people of that area and known to the Chiltern community as an Aboriginal Sacred Site .

However , the R A P position for the area was now held by the Yorta Yorta who had no knowledge of the area and therefore they signed it over to the cement company .

INSERT PHOTO OF WALLY COOPER AND STORY

As soon as the Bangerang people were made aware of this they contacted the the Aboriginal Affairs Minister and the whole thing was put on hold pending an inquiry . ( However the Bangerang and the Chiltern township’s protests were dismissed and the mine has now got the go-ahead ) .

Then , Parks Victoria decide to erect signs at the entrances of our National Parks , however , those signs which are in Traditional Bangerang Land have “ Yorta Yorta country ” written on them , even though the Parks Victoria Website acknowledges the Bangerang People as being the Original inhabitants of the area .!!

This is the sort of thing which emerges from people making wrong decisions in the first place , and denying the Bangerang people their rightful existence

By the way , mysteriously , at the time , Parks Victoria had a person on their board of directors .. who now called themself Yorta Yorta… !!

Numerous phone calls to Parks Victoria resulted in “ We only go by what the Government tells us to do ” … even if it is wrong …. !!!

In fact …. Every Politician who has come into power during the time of these signs , when approached and informed about them , has said they will get them fixed … but they are still there …!!!

In the National Parks , the Fauna and Flora , get more respect than the original human inhabitants of the area ..!!

What is hard to understand and makes anyone angry is the fact that people who hold these positions of employment will not do what is right and yet there are people who would do what is right … but they didn’t get the job .!

If nobody in power has got the guts to stand up and say “ This is not right we will fix it ” , the only option left will be for the Bangerang People to take these matters to court .

And then …. all the ones who have caused this deplorable situation , right back from the start in 1994 , will have to explain their actions , and all those ones who knew , and could have done something about it , but wouldn’t , will have to explain to the court WHY .. they didn’t , and face any retribution they deserve .

Wouldn’t that be something , and I also bet the court would be packed with Bangerang descendants to see the end of their unbelievable twenty two year long nightmare , and justice for their beloved ancestors at last ..!!

Wouldn’t you think that there would be laws against , discrimination , fraud deception , and altering history etc …..!

Hang on a minute , I think I just heard somebody say “ There Is ” .!!!

If the Bangerang people are ever made EXTINCT it will not be because of the European settler invasion in 1837-1838 , it will be caused by the actions of ignorant uncaring disrespectful people since 1994 onwards who have had no real knowledge of Aboriginal History or the wonderful lifestyle world described earlier in this book of the Bangerang People pre-settlement , and if they really DO know ….. then it is even worse than could be imagined ..!!

Does anyone doubt that this could happen .??

Well , take just a look at the A I A T S I S map , they are already Extinct on that , and they are not on any of the Registered Aboriginal Party Maps , and they don’t exist and are already discriminated against by Parks Victoria and others .

The Internet has made it easier for “ unscrutable ” people to “ brainwash ” uninformed people .. for example .. when anyone clicks onto Bangerang under some sites they are redirected to Yorta Yorta and everything that should read as Bangerang is switched into Yorta Yorta , and therefore , anyone who does not know any better believes it ..!!

Plus a “ bodgy ” home made map is displayed which has erased Bangerang from their rightful place in history and the writing has referred to them just as a “ family group ” … what an outright lie … take another look at the real genuine maps and documentation , Bangerang were a definite large tribe .!!

There should be a law against deceiving people and altering truth , it is the same as “cyber deception ” and should be treated as such ..??

Whoever is responsible for it should be made accountable … and besides that … how the heck is it possible for anybody to do such deplorable things on the internet .??

The facts are , the Bangerang application for being a Registered Aboriginal Party for their Historically Documented area was rejected by the “ Council Of Eleven ” in 2007 and given to somebody else who had no documented evidence of being the traditional people of the area , and if nobody cares , or does anything about these things , extinction of the Bangerang People will happen … and it will be a really disgraceful and shameful slur on the true history of Australia and a blot on the educational history of our future generations of Australians .

And , whenever future Australian generations ever do any real historical research they will be shocked at what has taken place in this present society who should have known better .. and let it happen ..!!

Everything that has been written in this book is TRUE and if anybody should doubt this … they can do their own research and they will find this out for themselves ..!!

You know , the really disappointing and disgusting thing that has emerged from this deplorable situation is that there are numerous Aboriginal Justice and Heritage organizations , including Aboriginal Affairs etc , etc , which have been formed by government , to ensure that such situations can not ever eventuate , and yet not one of them has had the courage to make a protest .

They all know about it , and if they say they don’t , then they should not be in the positions that they hold .

All of them loudly proclaim their caring for culture and heritage , and yet they all stand back and watch a large historically documented tribe be wiped out of the true history of Australia …. Why .. ??

What does preserving Culture , Heritage , Traditional and truth mean .. ??

The Bangerang People are not “ power hungry ” all they have ever cared about is their pride of culture and heritage ( this is why they produced the Bangerang Culture Centre in Shepparton , the first Aboriginal museum of its kind in Australia ) and for their beloved Ancestor’s documented areas to be restored back onto maps etc , and for people to tell the truth .. heck , is that too much to ask for .. ?

We hear and read about how people are deplored about the treatment and wiping out of Aboriginal people at first settlement yet it is still happening today … only with pencils and paper this time … but just as affective ..!

However , there are SUPPOSED to be laws to prevent such behaviour .

How come we don’t see these laws in action ..!!

It would be very interesting if an investigation or inquiry was ever made into the happenings and events that have caused this situation .

QUESTIONS needing genuine answers .

1 .. Why was the Yorta Yorta native title application ever accepted in the first place when it covered the Bangerang land .??

2 ,, Why did the Bracks Govt hand over some of the Bangerang land to the Yorta Yorta after the Yorta Yorta had been dismissed by the Federal Court without any consultation with the Bangerang People ..??

3 .. Why did the “ council of eleven ” bother to contact Yorta Yorta and inform them of the Bangerang Application for Registered Party and then

appoint Yorta Yorta Community without any historical documentation of them being the Traditional People of the area claimed , when their Guidline Booklet stressed that Traditional Owners would be given Preference .??

INSERT PHOTOS OF PAGES FROM BOOKLET

4 .. Why did Parks Victoria erect “ Yorta Yorta Country ” signs in the Traditional Bangerang lands … and if , as they say , the Government told them to then they should produce that documentation ..??

5 .. How did Parks Victoria overcome the Discrimination Act when they advertised employment for Park Rangers , but for Yorta Yorta people only .

6 .. Why did David Horton erase Bangerang from the A I A T S I S map in 1994 when they have been on every map ever since at least 1878 , and where did he get Yorta Yorta from when they had never been known or mapped before his own 1994 map .??

7 .. Why don’t any of the Govt Depts , who have all been contacted and informed of these goings - on do their job and at least TRY to investigate and get to the bottom of all these allegations .??

8 .. Why are people these days afraid to stand up for what is right and let wrongdoers do whatever they like , is there some kind of intimidation that is holding them back from their principles .. ??

All these Questions need to answered in a satisfactory way with genuine reasons and justification that will convince everyone that there has not been

a “ conspiracy ” … or corruption ..!!

That is … if they can . !!

Could it be that any of these perpetrators are not intelligent enough to realise just how serious their actions are , or the repercussions they are causing …??

However if that is not the case , and they ARE capable of knowing the outcomes of their actions … then they are even worse than we thought .. !

An old fella told me years ago .. “ When people lose their culture they lose everything .”

He was right , I can see it now … they also become stupid , disrespectful and greedy , which was unknown in our Aboriginal Culture .. !

This situation is so much worse than the coming of Europeans to the Traditional lands of the Bangerang … because at least they were recognized documented and mapped to show their occupation of the area ,

However , this is an attempt of a complete wipeout to make way for a ficticous mob who do not want to see anyone looking back into history and finding out the TRUTH .. !!

In January 2014 the then Victorian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Jeanette Powell granted and campaigned for the Bangerang People to at least be dually-registered as an Aboriginal Party for their Traditional Country and they lodged their application to the Victorian Heritage Council on the 19th of March 2014 .

Which would equate to only HALF of what is rightfully theirs ..!!

And now it is TWO YEARS later and the Heritage Council have still not given an answer .

Do they think that they are untouchable and above the law … or could it be that because some of them are still on the council ( and they are ) who made the wrong decision in 2007 and are terrified to change that decision in case of repercussions ..???

After reading all this …. what do you think ….?

Freddie Dowling .. on behalf of all Pangerang / Bangerang people , past and present .. and especially for the real Aboriginal People , our Ancestors , who unfortunately , are not able to be here and stand up for their rights ..!!

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