More than 400 people travelled to the site of the Myall Creek Massacre near Delungra to remember the 30 Wirrayaraay people who were killed by settlers at the Myall Creek Station 170 years ago.

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett announced the inclusion of the Myall Creek massacre site on the National Heritage List while attending the memorial service on Saturday.

“The events at Myall Creek resonate across the years and the listing of the Myall Creek Massacre and memorial site formally recognises a pivotal moment in Australia’s history,

“The fact so many people gather each year from the Myall Creek community, indigenous elders and the relatives of those killed to honour and remember those who died and continue the journey of reconciliation is a testament to the communities deep understanding and acknowledgement of this crucial chapter in our history,” Mr Garrett said.

The Myall Creek Massacre, subsequent court cases and the hanging of seven European settlers for the massacre of about 30 Wirrayaraay people is a pivotal moment in Australia’s history as the first and last time European settlers were found guilty of, and hanged for, the killing of Aboriginal people on the frontier.

“The conflict of 170 years ago has given way to a new understanding of Aboriginal people’s attachment to the land. Recognition of this attachment and the sometimes brutal ways in which the Aboriginal people were dispossessed are important in the journey of reconciliation.

“The fact the descendants of some of the people massacred on that horrific day in 1838 and the descendants of those charged with the crime can come together in their own peaceful and personal reconciliation makes me very proud to be an Australian,” Mr Garrett said.

Representatives from Inverell schools and community groups went to the memorial service, as well as many others, some of which travelled great distances to see the site be given its National Heritage inclusion and remember those who lost their lives in the horrific ‘Aboriginal Wars’ of the time.

© 2008 Inverell Times

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