Statement of intent from the Holt Family

Our organisation acknowledges the significance of the Kurnell area to Indigenous Australia and in particular to the traditional custodians, the Gweagal Clan of the Dharawal people and pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging. Existing with our ownership of land we recognise that it always has and always will be Aboriginal land.

We appreciate the importance of cultural heritage to Aboriginal people and it is that appreciation which is at the heart of our Statement of Intent. This Statement will lay the foundation for our organisation’s engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that through our work, we may see improved economic and cultural outcomes with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

We intend that how we operate should provide an example of exemplary engagement that builds on the concepts of respect, reciprocity and relationships.

We recognise that the Kurnell area has had a difficult and complex history since colonisation; a history that has had and continues to have, adverse impacts on the Dharawal people and the broader Indigenous Australian community. We believe that through culturally responsive and respectful engagement with Aboriginal people we can contribute to the truth-telling, healing and broader reconciliation movement within Australia.

Truth-telling provides an opportunity for a broader version of the history of the area to be told alongside our involvement in it. We can continue to be proud of our history and the many and varied contributions made by our family over generations to the local and wider community. At the same time, we can recognise and acknowledge that for many Indigenous Australians, Kurnell is a place of deep sadness. The place where the first steps towards colonisation took place, the initial untruth of the land being terra nullius was told and the beginning of their dispossession and disadvantage that continues to this day.

It is our intention to enable the multiplicity of stories of the area to be told, both old and new. As a family we have long been proud of our forebear’s role in the construction of the obelisk that commemorates the landing of Lieutenant James Cook at Kurnell and that marks the birthplace of what is now modern Australia. However, we want to be equally proud that we have helped to tell the story of Indigenous Australians in that same area, both before and after colonisation.

Our Planning Proposal for the future of our land at Kurnell, provides a unique opportunity for the Dharawal community to tell their story. It proposes a place for education, reflection and a continuation of cultural practices and history. The Aboriginal Cultural trail and the ecological regeneration as they are described in the proposal, will create a tourism destination for Sydney and the Sutherland Shire. A place where residents and visitors alike are encouraged to learn about and immerse themselves in our shared history and rich cultural traditions both pre and post European settlement.