In preparing the coastal management program, the Cooks River Alliance has taken significant steps to build relationships with the Wangal, Cadigal, and Gameygal peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the river.
An important part of developing a coastal management program is building enduring and reciprocal relationships with coastal communities, to ensure their values and priorities are considered in managing the NSW coast.
On 10 September 2023, over 120 Aboriginal people, including Traditional Custodians gathered by the Cooks River at Kendrick Park in Tempe, in the inner west of Sydney just 9 km from the CBD, for a family fun day. This event was hosted by both the Cooks River Alliance and Lyrebird Dreaming, a registered Aboriginal business that was engaged in providing services on the day.
The Cooks River Alliance has partnered with Lyrebird Dreaming to consult with Traditional Custodians and other Aboriginal people connected to the Cooks River, to co-design a new Aboriginal Inclusion Strategy.
The strategy aims to acknowledge Aboriginal peoples' spiritual, social, customary, and economic use of the river and to encourage and help a co-designed approach to manage the waterway. The outcomes of the inclusion strategy will be applied to inform the development of management actions to be included in the Cooks River Coastal Management Program and aligns with their objective, 'Aboriginal ways of thinking are valued from Yana Badu to Kamay'.
The family fun day was an opportunity for parents, grandparents, and carers to bring their kids and enjoy a day by the river while yarning about the strategy. The outcomes from the day provide opportunities for shared decision-making and collaboration about sustainably managing the Cooks River, in a way that aligns with the priorities and values of Traditional Custodians.
The key themes raised during the day included Joint Management of the Alliance with a 50/50 split of Aboriginal and existing government-agency members on a new Board; and renaming the Alliance Goolay'yari, a Pelican Dreaming story associated with the river. The wider community also accepted this.
The consultative approach taken by the Cooks River Alliance in partnership with Lyrebird Dreaming is a proactive example of responsibly empowering Aboriginal people in coastal management.
Where culturally safe approaches to consulting with Aboriginal people are applied, coastal management programs offer an opportunity to support community-led caring for Country initiatives and promote the aims of OCHRE. OCHRE is the NSW Government's plan for Aboriginal affairs and stands for opportunity, choice, healing, responsibility and empowerment.
A series of recommendations are now planned to be developed that reflect the values and priorities of Traditional Custodians about the management of the Cooks River. The Cooks River Alliance plans to continue partnering with the Wangal, Cadigal and Gameygal peoples in preparing the Cooks River Coastal Management Program.
Rock seawall with mangrove seedlings becoming established amongst the gaps between the rocks, Cooks River estuary