Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Access and Engagement
The Australian Land Conservation Alliance recognises and respects the deep and enduring relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with land, sea and water. We recognise the enduring persistence, knowledge and connection built over tens of thousands of years. We recognise that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, nature and culture are inextricably connected. We acknowledge and value the role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to play in managing Country today and their right to self-determination.
Our aim is for the Private Land Conservation Conference to be an inclusive and culturally safe event that engages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates to attend and actively participate. To achieve this, we implement the PLC Access and Engagement Strategy.
PLC23:
Artwork
KNOWLEDGE OF COUNTRY
To First Nations people, ‘Country’ is all things, it is a place of belonging and
a way of life. Country incorporates the sea, rivers, waterholes and air, the desert, land, mountains, hills and valleys, plants, animals, people and cultural obligations. Country embraces the seasons and constellations of the sky, stories, and creation spirits.
I have created the symbols to reflect the getting together of likeminded people to learn and share the cultural knowledge of Country.
Symbols from top to bottom represent:
Air & Constellations
Mountains & Valleys
Sea
Fresh water
Desert
Land
The Circle represents coming together to yarn, learn and share knowledge
Created by Maria Watson-Trudgett
Maria is an Aboriginal artist, a cultural consultant and speaker.
Her artworks express her connections to her culture in contemporary expression of now. Maria's painting style is a contemporary fusion of abstract and Aboriginal art, using groups of symbols as a way of narrating a story and preserving cultural traditions.