General News
5 March, 2021
Memorial story prompts offer
A SPUR of the moment decision to visit the Camperdown Cemetery’s Wombeetch Puuyuun memorial has led to a generous donation to revitalise the weathered monument.
A SPUR of the moment decision to visit the Camperdown Cemetery’s Wombeetch Puuyuun memorial has led to a generous donation to revitalise the weathered monument.
Birregurra local David Iliff visited the memorial last year with wife Susie after seeing the historic marker sign on the Princes Highway.
He said the couple were saddened to find erosion and moss had rendered the memorial almost illegible, and the story of the memorial’s origins had moved him to contact the Camperdown Cemetery trust with an offer to pay for restoration works.
“I thought visitors should be able to read it to honour the local Indigenous people,” he said.
“I just thought it was a fitting thing to do.
“Somebody, 100 years ago, had the foresight to acknowledge the Aboriginals and I thought I would do the same.”
This began a lengthy process to attain the appropriate permits to begin maintenance works.
Local sign writer Ian Currell of Currell Signs was tasked with the works. The moss was scrubbed and chipped out, with two coats of grey paint and primer applied to make the carvings easier to read while maintaining a natural finish.
When seeing the memorial following the completion last week, Mr Iliff said his $550 donation was money well spent.
“It’s magic,” he said.
“This is something I’m proud to be ableto do.
“Regardless of if it is Birregurra or Camperdown, or anywhere, we need to keep things in place to acknowledge the First Nations people.”
Camperdown Cemetery Trust secretary and treasurer Colin Hayman said the refurbishment had breathed new life in to the memorial.
“It makes a big difference and we’re very happy with the end result,” he said.
“The trust thanks David for his kind offer, it’s very much appreciated and it was a lovely gesture.
“This is a memorial people are keen on in terms of the Aboriginal heritage in the area, so it’s valuable to the community.”
The memorial was built in the 19th century when James Dawson, a local ally to Aboriginal people, returned from a trip to Scotland to find the last member of the local Aboriginal tribes, his old friend Wombeetch Puuyuun, had died.
His remains were discarded in boggy ground outside of the cemetery.
After receiving little public support to finance a memorial inside the cemetery, Mr Dawson paid for the obelisk to be erected and carried his old friend’s remains in his arms to be buried at the foot of the memorial.
The two dates on the monument, 1840 and 1883, mark the 43-year span in which European settlers displaced the Marr People from the Camperdown area.
Eastern Marr Aboriginal Co-operative general manager of bio-cultural landscapes John Clarke and cultural heritage manager Craig Edwards also visited the site last week.
Mr Clarke said the restoration was ngootjoon, meaning beautiful.
“We’re thankful to Mr Iliff for his donation, and to Ian for the respect towards what this signifies,” he said.
“This is something the entire Camperdown community can be proud of.
“It’s a unique monument, the only one of its kind in the country, and the story of these two is forever lasting.”
Mr Clarke said he could not agree more with Mr Iliff’s motivation to ensure the history of the memorial remains intact.
“The story of this landscape and the dispossession of us as the Marr People is absolutely tragic, and those impacts are felt by not only us but for all the community today,” he said.
“If ever there was a beacon of understanding and mutual respect, it’s here in this story.”
The Camperdown Cemetery Trust and Eastern Marr Aboriginal Co-operative will begin discussions on the potential restoration of the entire memorial as well as the resting place of James Dawson, which is also located within the cemetery.
