Grave site at risk of washing away

An Aboriginal family are concerned their ancestor’s sacred burial site near Jerramungup will be washed away if something is not done to restore it soon.

Trevor Walley believes his ancestor, Winmar, and other family members are buried under a tree on the embankment of the Gairdner River, east of Jerramungup, which is now at risk of being destroyed by rising water levels and soil erosion.

Mr Walley cites the book My Dusky Friends, written by Ethel Hassell about her time in Jerramungup between 1857 and 1933, as evidence of the site’s existence.

“It’s recorded by Ethel Hassel in the 1880s that she actually eye-witnessed a burial site here of old man Winmar, who is my direct ancestor,” he said

Tree carvings are considered markers for sites of special significance within Aboriginal culture.

“They did notch the tree to indicate the burial site of an important person — they didn’t do it for everyone but Winmar was an important person,” Mr Walley said.

“This is history, this tree has been recorded as an Aboriginal burial site and so it’s part of our history.”

Mr Walley is worried if some kind of conservation work is not completed soon, the site may be lost.

“These notched trees are falling in and so the grave is in danger of falling into the river, so the history is going to be disappearing,” he said. “Aboriginal culture doesn’t have a lot of symbolic things.

“Now when we have something that has a tombstone, it’s marked and it’s recorded so let’s document it — let’s do something about it.

“It needs to be recorded, identified and it needs some sort of conservation work.”

A Department of Aboriginal Affairs spokesman said the area was registered as an Aboriginal heritage site.

“A site investigation may need to be conducted to determine the condition of the site and any threats it may be facing,” he said

“Any decisions made about burial sites would be made in consultation with relevant traditional owners.”