MINISTER JOINS BAIYUNGU TRADITIONAL OWNERS TO CELEBRATE JARRALYA NATIONAL PARK
BY ASAD KHAN AND TANGIORA HINAKI
A historic gathering on Country
Government leaders and Traditional Owners came together on Friday for a ceremony marking the declaration of Jarralya National Park, a significant cultural and environmental milestone on Baiyungu Country.
Among those present were Western Australia’s Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn, Director General of Parks and Wildlife Stuart Smith, and other senior conservation leaders. The event highlighted years of advocacy, negotiation, and commitment to joint management between Traditional Owners and the State.
Memories of Country and mission life
Traditional Owner Laurie James Tittum of the Maya clan recalled his early years on Giralia Station, his mother’s Country.
“I come here with my old brother boy, Elliot Patterson, when I was a little boy with my mother,” he said.
“My mum passed away and then I end up in the Carnarvon Mission. Was there for nine years. I didn’t even know anybody.”
Reflecting on the park’s recognition, he described the day as deeply meaningful: “To me it’s like that song Slim Nasty sing.”
Land, culture, and obligations
Rachael Cooyou, speaking for the Baiyungu people, described the moment as a milestone in the Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA).
“Country works as one. It is all connected. If you take from one place, it impacts the other. This is a sacred country,” she said.
“The ILUA allows us to fill our cultural obligations for caring for Country. We have always looked after Country and always will.”
A legacy of joint management
Hazel Walgar, a Traditional Owner of the Ningaloo Coast, welcomed the agreement as a step forward in creating opportunities.
“Many of our old people gathered here and they stayed here. So for us today, we come back, we come back to the Country, all us mob, us Baiyungu mob,” she said.
“We’re signing with the state government — this is one of the best we’ve ever done. It creates opportunities for Traditional Owners to work right here with us on this Country.”
Walgar also reflected on those no longer present: “I know my old brother, my little brother, looking down on us and he’s proud. He’s here with us in spirit.”
Honouring those who paved the way
For Traditional Owner Debbie Dickerson, the ceremony was bittersweet.
“I feel really sad and happy. Mixed emotions at the moment,” she said.
“My brother was the main one, and my mum, my sister. I’m the last child of my mum’s left. I just bring all my kids and my brother’s children, and we’re all here today to celebrate this day, but it’s real sad without him.”
Steps toward reconciliation
Minister Swinbourn said the declaration of Jarralya National Park represented a pathway to reconciliation.
“There is a complex and sometimes disgraceful history with what’s happened to the Traditional Owners over time,” he said.
“To be part of something that puts them back onto a journey that continues to connect them with their Country, to respect them and their culture and their values, is something that is both professionally and personally very satisfying.”