Aboriginal engagement

The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board acknowledges and respects the traditional owners of the ancestral lands of the Eyre Peninsula. We acknowledge elders past and present and we respect the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of Aboriginal peoples to country.

In January 2022, the chairs of South Australia's nine landscape boards made a strong commitment to reconciliation and to strengthening the partnerships with First Nations across the state by signing a Statement of Commitment.

The statement marks an important formal commitment by the boards to collaborate with First Nations in working toward statewide landscape priorities. Developed in consultation with cultural authorities including the First Nations Coordinating Committee and SA Native Title Services, the statement gives twelve commitments to guide how each board will embed First Nations partnerships and expertise in delivering regional landscape plans.

In addition to this, the landscape boards are also included as signatories to the Department for Environment and Water's Reconciliation Action Plan.

Resources

• Our Acknowledgement of Country document provides Statement of Acknowledgement wording for the Eyre Peninsula.
• The Board maintains a strategy for Aboriginal partnerships in our region.
• We also have a list of Eyre Peninsula Aboriginal community group contacts.

Celebrating NAIDOC Week

In celebration of a previous NAIDOC Week, the Aboriginal Engagement and Reconciliation Unit within Department for Environment and Water produced twelve 'Because of Her, we can' stories featuring women from across the State. Three of the stories come from Eyre Peninsula.

We welcome you to download the stories, read and reflect on your own 'because of her, we can' moments and connections.

Veda Betts (download PDF story 833kb) | Emma Richards (download PDF story 842kb) | Tammy Cox (download PDF story 933kb)

Read the media release (click here) about Veda Betts sharing culture and working with students at Streaky Bay to develop their connection and the interconnectedness to Mother Nature, in partnership with Officer Libby Hunt.

Partnerships

We work collaboratively with organisations, groups and individuals to build and foster relationships, build capacity, and initiate mutually beneficial partnerships across the region to support Aboriginal participation and leadership in managing the regions natural resource base. This includes:

• Homeland and Family Groups - staff work with family homeland groups on land and soil management, advice on pest and weed control and technical assistance.

• Provide support to Aboriginal groups to develop and deliver their own Landscape / Sea Country Plans.

• Small grants - we support Aboriginal groups and individuals to share their knowledge and participate in natural resources management and cultural connections to country through the provision of Grassroots Grants and cross-regional initiatives.

• We have a formalised agreement to work together with our neighbouring Alinytjara Wilurara Landscape Board.