The Queensland government has revealed plans to build the main stadium of the 2032 Olympic Games in Victoria Park, a significant indigenous site in the center of Brisbane.
The location, which has been a controversy issue, is historically known as a massacre site and is located along a line of songs.
The $ 3.8 billion stadium will have 63,000 spectators.
During his election campaign, Prime Minister David Crisafull had promised not to build a new stadium, especially discarding Victoria Park as the site for athletics.
This announcement has already led to protests, with groups such as Save Victoria Park organizing against the project and considering legal actions.
They argue that development would irreversibly damage an important green space and respect the cultural importance of the site.
The Woman of Yuggera, Aunt Debe Sandy, whose family has long ties with the area, expressed deep concerns about the stadium proposed to the Guardian.
The aunt had to emphasize that the earth is the home of many indigenous peoples, and based on it would be similar to lacking respect for its history and connection with the earth.
“It’s almost as if our story didn’t matter,” he said.
Cultural importance and history of Barrambín
Victoria Park, also known by her traditional place of Barrambin, is a deeply significant and culturally significant area with a rich history.
For tens of thousands of years, it served as a meeting place and meeting for the towns of Turrbal and Yuggera, as well as a location of sacred rituals.
It is the home of a Bora (initiation site), a Bunyip sacred water well and archaeological findings, such as stone flint and oyster shells, have also been discovered throughout the park.
Dr. Ray Kerkhove, a historian who specializes in the reconstruction of stories of indigenous sites, has widely investigated the meaning of Victoria Park.
The area stands out as one of the most culturally valuable sites in the region, with remains of old indigenous practices scattered throughout the landscape.
Lord Major Adrian Schrinner, who supported the remodeling of the park in a public space in 2020, has changed its position, now supporting the construction of a stadium in Victoria Park.
Despite his previous comments, highlighting the rich indigenous heritage of the Park, now supports development, which has led to considerable public protest.
The cultural history of Victoria Park covers centuries, with the site that serves as a city for up to 1,500 indigenous people during the nineteenth century, before they were removed by force and put in missions.
Many returned to the park in the twentieth century when they were allowed to leave the missions.
Aunt Debe Sandy told The Guardian that she was raised with people who had lived in Victoria Park when they were children.
She emphasized that indigenous peoples continued to return to the site because “is home.”
