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Warrior woman symbol of Gunggari Nation’s strength
Listening to Aunty Lynette Nixon speak about the Yumba
[home], it is easy to picture the intoxicating heat, the clear running rivers and the rustling leaves of the trees lining their banks.
Aunty Lynette is a woman of the Gunggari Nation. Throughout her adult life she has worked tirelessly, and fought valiantly, to break down the negative stereotypes towards her people, to restore their land, and to ensure all Aboriginal peoples receive the health care and education every Australian deserves.
“I just wanted to make things better for Aboriginal people – to break down the racial barriers.
“Aboriginals contribute so much to the community.
“Living in the town for a start, but also working on the properties, working at the hospitals and at the schools.”
The town (and community) Aunty Lynette grew up in, and still lives, is Mitchell, Queensland. She says no matter where her work or travels take her, and regardless of the challenges she had to overcome, she will always return to the land she calls home.
“That [Mitchell] is where I belong.
“The Yumba is where I come from, it’s where I’ll always be going back to.”
The land of the Gunggari Nation spans from the headwaters of the Maranoa River in Mount Moffatt (north) to the junction where it joins the Balonne River in the south. The 37,100 square kilometres of Queensland’s Maranoa region (between the towns of Charleville, Mitchell, St George and Bollon) were fully recognised as Gunggari land in 2019 following a third Native Title determination. The land determinations were the result of a series of tough and long-fought battles, with warriors like Aunty Lynette at the forefront.
“I remember, when I was young, people tried to stop us going to the pool.
“But it was a war memorial pool and our mob fought in both world wars so they couldn’t stop us.
“They [the Native Title determinations] took 27 years and we lost people along the way, a lot of our elders and a lot of our young people.
“At times it made me sad and disappointed, but I’ve never been angry because anger doesn’t get you anywhere.
“You have to draw strength from having to fight, from not giving in.”
The determinations and subsequent funding have allowed the Gunggari Nation to re-establish their homeland, which has resulted in people returning to reconnect. Aunty Lynette has mostly happy memories of growing up on the Yumba with her seven brothers and close extended family. She acknowledges her story is not shared by all Gunggari people, with many taken away as young children to missions and/or growing up in foster homes.
“Belonging to the big mob you are never alone.
“But the people who were taken away, they didn’t know who they were or where they came from and it was harder for them.
“But they come from here, and they know who they are now and they’re coming back to heal and to rejuvenate.”
“Strength always comes from the land, your extended family and the big mob.”
It’s that connection and belonging which keep Aunty Lynette fighting for the land and what it represents to her Nation.
“The land is home and it will heal your spirit.
“If you’re feeling down or worn out, you can come home, to this place, and then when you go away, you feel so much better.
“But you better be on your best behaviour when you’re there because the spirits, our ancestors, are in those trees looking down and watching everything!”
The fights for Native Title determination, improved health care and education were about survival for her people, and Aunty Lynette is proud that her legacy has become an inspiration for young Gunggari people. From assisting the University of New England with research into Aboriginal health in south-west Queensland in the 1980s and 1990s, to writing non-fiction and children’s books that are used to teach Gunggari history and language in local schools, Aunty Lynette’s role has become that of a cultural keeper of knowledge for past, and future, generations.
“That’s what you do it for, you do it for the future generations.
“I don’t want our culture and heritage to die or not to be around – it’s very important for it to be carried on.
“A lot of the young kids are taking on the jobs now.
“They’ve stepped up and they’re on the boards, they’re on the committees, they’re fighting the fight and that gives me pride
“They also understand, very importantly, that when you’re doing something like this, you have to make sure you’re doing it properly and doing the right thing.”
Reflecting back on her achievements and successes, there is no doubt in Aunty Lynette’s mind that her strength to persevere came from the land.
“If you look after the land, the land with look after you.
“It [the land] makes you strong, it keeps you going and not enough people, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, understand that.
“It becomes a part of you and so I will always return to our land.”
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The Condamine Headwaters, a critical ecosystem in Southern Queensland, has long faced threats from sedimentation, habitat degradation, and thermal regime changes. The Blackfish Project, dedicated to reversing these impacts, unites scientists, landowners, and the community in a shared mission to restore and protect this vital environment. At its core lies the river blackfish, a sensitive indicator of the overall ecosystem health. Central to the project's success is the unwavering commitment of landowners like Paul Graham. Inspired by the project's vision, Paul reached out to SQ Landscapes seeking support for a solar pump and tank to divert his cattle away from waterways on his property. Paul's deep-rooted love for his land, captured in his humorous quip "I love my land more than I love my wife," is a testament to the powerful connection between people and place that drives conservation efforts.
The Board of Southern Queensland Landscapes recently met in Toowoomba. In addition to the Board meeting, Board and Executive worked through updating SQ Landscapes’ strategy. Company Secretary Pam Murphy highlighted the importance of the latest Board meeting and what it means for the company’s future. “The updated strategy will help SQ Landscapes deliver sustainable natural resource management (NRM) outcomes that improve the lives of people in regional communities now and for the future,” Pam Murphy said. “We’re excited to continue delivering value for our region and build Flourishing Landscapes and Healthy Communities across Southern Queensland under the guidance of the Board,” Mrs Murphy said.
Annual General Meeting When: Wednesday, 13 December 2023 Where: Online via Zoom Time : 9.00am for 9.30am start
When Sophie and Adrian McInnerney began adopting their “paddock to plate” experiment into their lambing business, they quickly discovered how a new and exciting approach to running their enterprise transformed their resilience and soil health. Multi-species cover cropping was the answer, and now their business has become a diverse enterprise that has embraced variations in livestock feed and crop rotation, building riparian fencing, and investing in healthier soils. This has opened the young couple to new opportunities to create new revenue streams, protect their business against natural disasters, drought, and prepare for economic hardships. Their property, “Bellhaven Brook”, located just an hour east of Goondiwindi, was the site of Macintyre Ag Alliance’s latest Multi-Species Cropping Field Day. With the support of Southern Queensland Landscapes (SQ Landscapes), the event aimed to promote the McInnerney family’s new land practices, offering an opportunity to educate land managers in the region of new ways to strengthen their property and enterprise. SQ Landscapes’ Goondiwindi-based Project Delivery Officer Keith Walker joined land managers for the workshop and highlighted how multi-species cover cropping could pave the way to rebuilding healthy soils and farming enterprises. “What was great about visiting ‘Bellhaven Brook’ is that you don’t have to be a scientist to understand this stuff. The idea is to just try and experiment like the McInnerneys did,” Keith Walker said. “These cover cropping systems are all about building your experience, experimenting and slowly developing a healthier and richer soil profile; which is the basis of all businesses; cropping and grazing alike.” Mr Walker said. “It was interesting to see the range of people, the ages from young and old, and the differences in enterprises. It’s a reminder that this genre of agriculture is starting conversations,” he said. “It’s all about implementation on the ground and getting the results for less money and experimenting with what people are doing.”
Cool burns, camels, and funding for local farmers were on the agenda at 'Risdon Stud' as land managers Nick and Liz Suduk hosted the Southern Queensland Landscapes and Department of Resources site visit to showcase the success of the Natural Resources Investment Program 2018-2022 (NRIP). Risdon Stud, south of Warwick, was primarily a high-intensity horse stud, but under new ownership with the Suduk family, the focus has been on restoring productivity and landscape health. “The Suduks participated in the NRIP project, where they received on-site guidance from First Nations fire practitioner Robbie Williams from Fire Lore, for cool burning in native vegetation areas,” Project Delivery Lead Natasha Mylonas said. “This was their first exposure to this type of burning and they have since embarked on a journey towards building their confidence in applying it elsewhere on the property,” Ms Mylonas said. “The NRIP project also supported livestock fencing, largely to exclude cattle from a large patch of remnant vegetation, combined with weed management in that remnant vegetation,” she said. “It is really difficult to muster out of the remnant vegetation, so the fencing has meant easier mustering of the cattle, as well as reduced weed spread and damage to the native vegetation in the patch.” “Outside of the NRIP project, they maintain a herd of agisted camels as part of their weed management strategy and experimented with fire to manage wattle regrowth,” Natasha Mylonas said.
Fire is crucial to maintaining our landscapes. That’s according to fire practitioner Robbie Williams, who accompanied Southern Queensland Landscapes earlier this year to bridge fire practitioner knowledge with First Nations Peoples across the southwest. Robbie has since returned to the region - this time accompanied by members of our Charleville team as he hosted training along the slopes of the culturally significant site of Mt Tabor, just outside Augathella. “This is the continuation of what we achieved last time we were in the southwest,” Robbie Williams said. “Last visit, SQ Landscapes connected me with local First Nations mobs including Kunya, Bidjara, Mardigan, Boonthamurra, Kooma, Kullilli, and Murrawurri,” Mr Williams said. “During this visit, many of these mobs agreed to trial fire practitioner training for young men in the area to bring burning back onto Country; and that is exactly what we’re here to do today!” he said. “It’s really inspiring to see these communities taking on the opportunity to learn about burning and we’re hoping this will develop into businesses the local mobs can build to manage their Country.”
Winners in the Southern Queensland Landscapes and University of Southern Queensland’s 2023 First Nations Art Competition have been announced to a crowd of more than 150 people in Toowoomba. Overall Grand Prize and Digital Medium Category winner has gone to Robert Claude Manns for his piece ‘Mandan’. "I wanted to express the fractured relationship that I have with some of the Mandandanji People. Unfortunately many of us feel connected to our Nation, but not always the people," Robert Manns said. "My piece was assisted through artificial intelligence (AI) art and I found that to be a really powerful tool in discovering how I wanted this art to go," Mr Manns said. "I've always been artistic, and I wanted to explore Indigenous art, but I wasn't great at it and I found the style difficult to personalise. AI and digital art has allowed me to connect with Indigenous art in my own way and explore things the way I wanted," he said. "I'm really glad it worked out and people liked the art!" "In truth, I thought I might only get an encouragement award, but to first see I won the digital art and then the Overall Grand Prize was just spectacular. There were tears in my eyes. I wasn't expecting to get so far!" Robert Manns said. "I want to thank everyone who made Indigenous art through the millenia; otherwise I wouldn't have done it," Mr Manns said. "Shortly before he passed away, my dad put me onto the competition and I thought I'd give it a go. I wish he was here to see it, as he was my inspiration for making this art." he said. "He was my inspiration and my supporter through it all."
By Kellie Stewart When land managers Phil & Anne Donges entertained the idea of retirement they looked to the natural assets of their property located between Yelarbon, Inglewood and Texas to provide the answer. For almost 90-years ‘Glenarbon’ had supported generations of the Donges family; with key crops and land use pivoting numerous times as a result of market demands, economic climates and practice change. “Glenarbon was established back in 1932; our family came out then and it was to grow tobacco, that was in the middle of the depression,” Phil Donges said. “Five years ago we sold our main farm about 10-kilometres down the road and we decided to go into semi-retirement keeping about 100-acres of the original farm along about 1-kilometre of the Dumaresq River,” Mr Donges said. “We’re using Glenarbon now to run a few head of steers and then we’ve also gone into this eco-tourism where people can come and enjoy the environment like we like it ourselves,” he said. “We saw the ecotourism as an opportunity to give us some extra income by going into the camping side of things, but also to diversify our business so that we could in tougher seasons rely less heavily on livestock and more on the natural assets of the farm.”