Construction of the Aboriginal Scarred Trees Display commences

Construction of the long awaited Scarred Tree installation has commenced at Oak Hill Aboriginal Reserve in Yass.

Site preparations have been completed at Oak Hill and building is underway of an interpretive installation on the corner of Orion Street and Cooks Hill Road, which will display three felled Aboriginal scarred trees.

The trees were removed by a developer in 2004 and have since been treated and stored by Yass Valley Council at its depot. The protection and conservation of the Aboriginal scar trees has been a long-standing priority of Council’s Aboriginal Consultative Committee and the restoration is an important element of Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan. The Plan outlines agreed initiatives to help Council strengthen its relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) peoples and to ensure ATSI peoples are consulted about Council plans and projects.

The Scarred Tree Display has been funded by Yass Valley Council, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, South East Local Land Services and TransGrid. Council’s General Manager, Chris Berry, said Council has been working closely with the Ngunnawal community for a number of years to ensure the trees are appropriately displayed.

“Council staff and the local Aboriginal community have been working with a conservator to preserve the trees for many years and I am pleased that work has now commenced at the site where they will be permanently displayed,” Mr Berry said.

Construction is expected to be completed in the New Year and a special ceremony will be held to mark the official opening of the display.

10 December 2019

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