Wattle
Point Wind farm developers desecrate protected Aboriginal
archaeological site
and breach the Aboriginal Heritage Act; Ancient skeletal remains
discovered
smashed up are Aboriginal.
One month ago, at Wind Turbine 4, we discovered skeletal remains; the developer's grader desecrated and destroyed an ancient Aboriginal burial ground and the skeletal remains that were buried there. A report by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation has now confirmed that they were Aboriginal.
Now we discover that Wind Turbine 4 was actually built over part of the main archaeological site that was supposed to be protected there.
SKELETAL REMAINS
NOT DATED
From my experience and knowledge of our country, cultural landscapes and burial grounds and in respect to the people who did the report, I disagree with some of their conclusions.
DAARE's anthropologist report states that the layer of sandy topsoil at Wind Turbine 4 is only about 100-120 mm thick over a calcrete foundation and they say because of this the site could not be the original burial ground. DAARE's report does not date the bones that were found at Wind Turbine 4. Surely this needs to be done to get an accurate understanding of the landscape at the time of burial. If the burial took place more that 200 years ago, before European settlement and farming, which is extremely likely, the landscape would have been very different. Anyone with good knowledge of this country will tell you that centuries of high winds and shifting sands, together with 150 years of farming, would have eroded the top soil to it's current depth. Is DAARE going to date the skeletal remains?
PARTIAL HUMAN
REMAINS ARE
ABORIGINAL
DAARE's report also states that the bones were in good condition and that more bones would have been found if this was the original burial site.
The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation should know that discovering partial and sometimes bleached ancient skeletal remains is a normal occurrence on the Yorke Peninsula and if DAARE staff had researched this properly they would have found many examples of this in their own survey cards of Aboriginal heritage sites of the Yorke Peninsula.
I discovered the original bone on the edge of the graded crane pad, just a few metres away from the massive hole that was dug for the base of the Wind Turbine (Hard stand). My ancestor's bone fragments were found scattered and broken up to 10 metres away from the original discovery. The excavation of the massive hole (hard stand) could easily have removed some of the skeletal remains and the rest may still be buried in the area that wasn't disturbed, near the edge of the graded area where the original bone was found? The developer's archaeologist stated in their report that the sand at Wind Turbine 4 was sifted. But what happened with all the dirt that came from the massive hole that was dug for the base of the Wind Turbine (Hard stand) and has it been properly sifted? The developer's report doesn't say, so I assume it wasn't?
DEVELOPERS
DESECRATE A
SIGNIFICANT ABORIGINAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
PROTECTED
A flagged off area a few metres away from Wind Turbine 4 indicates the boundary of one of the main archaeological sites that was determined by the Minister Terry Roberts. The developer graded the surface at Wind Turbine 4, desecrating and revealing the ancient skeletal remains of our ancestors. Now hundreds of artefacts and tools have been discovered there. Even without the skeletal remains, the site at Wind Turbine 4 is very significant.
It's obvious to me that the boundary of the main archaeological site, which is located only a few metres away from Wind Turbine 4, was compromised and put in the wrong place to suit the developers so they could get away with not moving the location of Wind Turbine 4. Even the report from the developer's archaeologist states, "The archaeological area extending from the registered site 6247/6657 has been exposed by construction works for hardstand WTG 04".
The boundary to the main archaeological site should have gone way past where Wind Turbine 4 was located. Before the development started I asked the Minister Terry Roberts, DAARE, the site archaeologists and the developers, for Wind Turbines 2, 3, 4 & 5 to be moved across the road away from the main archaeological site but our wishes were ignored and our knowledge not respected. No turbines were moved out of the area and development went ahead.
When I visited the site, only a few days ago, I was shocked and disgusted to see what the developer had done. Work had continued at Wind Turbine 4, even after the discovery of skeletal remains and hundreds of artefacts; and the area was now nearly fully developed. This is disgraceful. Weren't the developers supposed to stop work at Wind Turbine 4 so we could have proper consultation? Not even finding skeletal remains stopped these people. Not even knowing that they built the Wind Turbine on a protected archaeological site stopped these people. Who gave these developers the green light to continue developing the area at Wind Turbine 4? Who gave them the right to destroy our ancient heritage? Who is to blame for this disgraceful, money hungry act that desecrated the archaeological site that the Minister Terry Roberts said was supposed to be protected?
These developers have breached the Aboriginal heritage Act and should be prosecuted. What are DAARE and Native Title going to do about it? It's obvious that this state government isn't serious about the preservation of Aboriginal heritage and culture or they would be listening.
QUENTEN AGIUS Mobile: 0429367121
Direct
descendant of the true traditional owners of Adjahdura Land (Yorke
Peninsula,
SA).
Head
Senior Monitor for the Narungga Heritage Committee (NHC).
Cultural
and Heritage Officer for Goreta Aboriginal Corporation (GAC).
46 Maitland Rd, Point Pearce SA 5573