Murujuga traditional owner accuses UNESCO of silencing, intimidating her in Paris
Raelene Cooper travelled to Paris with a small group from her Save Our Songlines group to persuade World Heritage Committee members to retain restrictions on industrial emissions near the Murujuga rock art contained in a draft decision considered at its meeting in Paris on Friday.
Those conditions, which would apply to projects like Woodside's North West Shelf and Burrup Hub assets, were scratched from the final decision in an amendment moved by committee member Kenya, and supported by the majority of the committee.
Cooper wrote to World Heritage Centre director Lazare Eloundou Assomo on Sunday to complain about the treatment of her group.
She claimed UNESCO staff blocked her group from entering the chamber floor on the day of the Murujuga vote, ignored requests to address the committee, and assigned an intimidating level of security to the Save Our Songlines representatives.
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Cooper was granted observer status and was able to lobby member countries on the floor of the committee meeting on Wednesday and Thursday last week, but said on the day of the vote her team was prevented from entering the chamber.
The former Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation chair said representatives from the Australian government and current MAC members were still allowed on the chamber floor and to address the committee following the vote.
'Had I been able to address the committee regarding the Murujuga inscription, I would have been able to express my profound joy at the successful inscription, and my congratulation [sic] to every member of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation on a momentous day for our people achieving such recognition,' Cooper said in her letter.
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About 30 years ago, Rohan Goyne was browsing at a Canberra tip shop when he came across a framed certificate he knew was special. Mr Goyne picked up the Mentioned in Dispatches certificate from World War II, which was awarded to soldiers who had been commended for acts of gallantry or distinguished service in official reports, along with a bunch of other items, for the princely sum of $10. Over the years, he has amassed more than 500 items, with a particular focus on items that reflect what took place on the home front during the war. Read more from The Senior His collection has grown so large that he no longer has room to display it at home. Most of the items have been itemised and stored in boxes, in his garage, and various places around the house. These items range from rare coins printed during the war, to shovels that were used by the Land Army, and old pamphlets, propaganda posters and brochures. Mr Goyne is on a fixed budget and says he never pays much for these rare finds, but some of them are quite valuable. He did not want to disclose how much the collection was worth. Many of the items have been sourced from op shops and tip shops. Mr Goyne said Canberra is a city that is rich in historical military memorabilia. "Canberra is a military town, so there's a lot of people who served... when grandpa dies, people just send this stuff to the charity shops," he said. Other items have been sourced from private owners. Mr Goyne is not your average coin collector, but his collection does include a number of Australian pennies that were printed at the Bombay Mint during the latter stages of the war years. He explained that when American troops were stationed in Australia, they had a lot of money to spend, resulting in the Australian Government asking India to print about 400,000 pennies to make up for the shortfall. The only thing that distinguishes them from pennies printed in Australia is a small asterisk printed on their faces. Mr Goyne found the coins in op shops after researching how to identify them, paying no more than $3 per penny. Another significant item is a Liberty Loan poster, one of a series of posters that were issued to call on Australians to contribute to the ongoing campaign by investing in war bonds. Mr Goyne purchased the poster from its previous owner about five years ago and said there is an equivalent poster in the Australian War Memorial Collection. Other key items in Mr Goyne's collection include an ore sample from Mount Painter in South Australia, a disused mine that was reopened to supply the United States with uranium to assist with its Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the first atomic bombs. Another recent find is a huge volume from the Commonwealth Patents Office, featuring trademarks, patents and designs for a range of military equipment that were lodged in 1945. A selection of items from Mr Goyne's collection will be displayed at an exhibition at Canberra Museum and Gallery from August 9-February 1. While some of the items he has collected are quite valuable, Mr Goyne has no intention to resell them. For him, the collection is all about preserving an often neglected part of our wartime history. "I think that the sacrifices [of]... Australians who didn't go and serve overseas, that is not well documented... I've heard very little conversation about what was happening at home to achieve that victory, and everyone was involved in that." Following the exhibition, My Goyne said he will consider donating some of his items. Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE. About 30 years ago, Rohan Goyne was browsing at a Canberra tip shop when he came across a framed certificate he knew was special. Mr Goyne picked up the Mentioned in Dispatches certificate from World War II, which was awarded to soldiers who had been commended for acts of gallantry or distinguished service in official reports, along with a bunch of other items, for the princely sum of $10. Over the years, he has amassed more than 500 items, with a particular focus on items that reflect what took place on the home front during the war. Read more from The Senior His collection has grown so large that he no longer has room to display it at home. Most of the items have been itemised and stored in boxes, in his garage, and various places around the house. These items range from rare coins printed during the war, to shovels that were used by the Land Army, and old pamphlets, propaganda posters and brochures. Mr Goyne is on a fixed budget and says he never pays much for these rare finds, but some of them are quite valuable. He did not want to disclose how much the collection was worth. Many of the items have been sourced from op shops and tip shops. Mr Goyne said Canberra is a city that is rich in historical military memorabilia. "Canberra is a military town, so there's a lot of people who served... when grandpa dies, people just send this stuff to the charity shops," he said. Other items have been sourced from private owners. Mr Goyne is not your average coin collector, but his collection does include a number of Australian pennies that were printed at the Bombay Mint during the latter stages of the war years. He explained that when American troops were stationed in Australia, they had a lot of money to spend, resulting in the Australian Government asking India to print about 400,000 pennies to make up for the shortfall. The only thing that distinguishes them from pennies printed in Australia is a small asterisk printed on their faces. Mr Goyne found the coins in op shops after researching how to identify them, paying no more than $3 per penny. Another significant item is a Liberty Loan poster, one of a series of posters that were issued to call on Australians to contribute to the ongoing campaign by investing in war bonds. Mr Goyne purchased the poster from its previous owner about five years ago and said there is an equivalent poster in the Australian War Memorial Collection. Other key items in Mr Goyne's collection include an ore sample from Mount Painter in South Australia, a disused mine that was reopened to supply the United States with uranium to assist with its Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the first atomic bombs. Another recent find is a huge volume from the Commonwealth Patents Office, featuring trademarks, patents and designs for a range of military equipment that were lodged in 1945. A selection of items from Mr Goyne's collection will be displayed at an exhibition at Canberra Museum and Gallery from August 9-February 1. While some of the items he has collected are quite valuable, Mr Goyne has no intention to resell them. For him, the collection is all about preserving an often neglected part of our wartime history. "I think that the sacrifices [of]... Australians who didn't go and serve overseas, that is not well documented... I've heard very little conversation about what was happening at home to achieve that victory, and everyone was involved in that." Following the exhibition, My Goyne said he will consider donating some of his items. Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
