Waterloo Bay Massacre

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15:45): I rise to speak today on the important work of the District Council of Elliston and its journey of reconciliation with the local Aboriginal community. I recall about 18 months ago I was contacted in my role as then minister for Aboriginal affairs to provide media comments on an issue of concern and contention in the Elliston area. It related to the final piece of the Elliston coastal trail. There was proposed to be a memorial plaque to the Aboriginal lives lost on what is commonly known on the West Coast as the Waterloo Bay massacre that occurred in 1849, where, although historical accounts vary, somewhere up to 200 Wirangu people lost their lives.

At the time, to be perfectly honest, I was somewhat resistant to entering the fray to discuss what was largely a local government and community issue. After some reflection, I came to the conclusion that the importance of such a memorial and the words used on it were particularly crucial. There is much to be learnt from the literature available in relation to the events that took place in and around the Waterloo Bay area, and perhaps more importantly there is much to be learnt from the oral histories of local Aboriginal people on the same events.

When combining both the written and oral histories about Waterloo Bay, and the interactions between the traditional owners and the early white settlers, there is no dispute that what took place was in fact a massacre. Using any other word would be an attempt to rewrite history and jeopardise the journey of reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the area.

Looking at it at the time, a working definition of what constitutes a massacre is something along the lines of the intentional killing of a number of relatively defenceless people. The motives for the massacre need not be rational in order for the killings to be intentional. The debate concerned the use of that one word on the memorial—the word 'massacre'. Using that word, the correct word to describe what happened in 1849, does not intend to serve as a reminder of guilt or shame for any people, particularly descendants of the first non-Indigenous settlers of the area; rather, an important reminder of how much has been achieved in reconciliation.

This sort of wording on memorials is not groundbreaking or unique. There are places across Australia that recognise the uneven conflicts of colonisation and the devastating impacts they had on Aboriginal people, but it is one of the first in South Australia. It is simply a matter of telling the truth, which can sometimes be difficult, but is important nonetheless.

Aboriginal Australians have the oldest surviving culture in the world, a fact of which Australians should be very proud but should also understand critical events that shaped our recent history, such as the Waterloo Bay massacre. I pay tribute to the chairperson of the District Council of Elliston, Mr Kim Callahan, for his strength and resilience through what has been a difficult process over the last couple of years. His leadership has inspired other people to begin shining a light on some of the more difficult parts of our colonial history.

I also pay tribute to Wirangu elders, who have been absolutely patient in the way that they have gone about achieving what was achieved a few weeks ago in Elliston. People like Jack Johncock and Veda Betts showed remarkable leadership in the Wirangu community.

I also want to acknowledge other attendees at the unveiling ceremony in Elliston last month. The local member, Peter Treloar, was in attendance, and local South Australian identity Peter Goers MC'd the event. Also in attendance was Senator Patrick Dodson, known as the father of reconciliation, who spoke when he came to Elliston a number of weeks ago for the unveiling. What stuck with me was some of Senator Dodson's words, when he said:

Elliston will be one of the places the country remembers for this. Reconciliation is not a one way street, it is a liberation for the perpetrators of wrong and the people who suffered through that wrong—it's mutual, there is nothing to be lost for anyone.

We can only move forward with the telling of the truth of what has happened in the past and I hope to see more memorials across South Australia that reflect some of this. Only by properly recognising our past can we truly understand where we are now and how we move forward.