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in this Indigenous cultural landscape space. Jefa said “Culture will
not thrive unless we communicate
it and pass on knowledge - but it
must be in an Aboriginal context
and on our terms.”
Timmah Ball, whose heritage is
Ballardong Noongar from Western
Australia and who works variously
as an Urban Planner, Writer and
Community Arts Worker, emphasised the need for planners to think
about people rather than zones and
overlays. She said “There is some
fantastic work now being done to
strengthen Aboriginal culture in the
built environment - and the next
step is to continue the discussion
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA
around how we can create inclusive
cities and how we can ensure that
a range of voices are being heard
and represented in our cities.”
I found the day’s proceedings
really stimulating and it was
hugely exciting to witness the enthusiasm that the participants all
demonstrated for Indigenous cultural landscape. It seemed to me
that Indigenous Culture’s time has
arrived in Australia and that there
is a real hunger for knowledge and
understanding in this realm.
There is an opportunity for
designers of built environments to
embrace Indigenous values and to
further strengthen the acknowl-
edgement of Country. The stunning use of an 85 metre tall image
of William Barak, a nineteenth
century Ngurungaeta (elder) of the
Wurundjeri people, on the facade
of a luxury apartment on Swanston
Street in Melbourne is a recent
(2015) example.
There is a pressing need for
more Aboriginal practitioners in
all the built environment professions and the AILA together with
the IADV are committed to playing
their part in encouraging young
Aboriginals to undertake study and
training. As in our country there is
room for stronger incorporation
of Indigenous beliefs, values and