Concept designs for a commemorative installation marking 250 years since Aboriginal Australians met the crew of HMS Endeavour at Sydney's Kamay Botany Bay are on display for public comment from today.
Commissioned to interpret the cultural perspectives of those on the shore and those on the bay, the work will form one part of a wider $50 million program to upgrade Kamay Botany Bay National Park.
Local Aboriginal community leaders are playing a key role on the Kamay 2020 Project Board, chaired by Bruce Baird AM, which will oversee the restoration of a precinct steeped in Aboriginal story-telling and the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians since 1770.
"This is about paying respect to all aspects of our shared heritage, the meeting of our two cultures and the differing perspectives that are discussed to this day," Federal Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, said today.
NSW Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean said the joint Federal and State funding will be used to upgrade visitor, transport, educational and other park infrastructure.
"The commemorative installation is an important mark of the significance within the context of a wider project that pays tribute to the many cultural layers of this precinct," Mr Kean said.
La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council Chair and Kamay 2020 Board Member Noeleen Timbery said the concept designs interpret the significance of that meeting of two cultures.
"This site is incredibly important to our country's story and holds enormous significance to the Gweagal people and broader Aboriginal community," Ms Timbery said.
"It is important that our shared story is represented in this public artwork so that all Australians see what this site represents and what it means for our past, present and future. We are excited to be part of a project which promotes truth in story-telling."
The concept designs can be viewed at the Kamay Discovery Centre at Kurnell and La Perouse Museum or online at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/kamay-2020-consultation.
Comments can be submitted on the website until 5 November 2019.
