Limited reprieve for Day of Mourning site
By Chris Martin
SYDNEY — Activists campaigning to save the historic "Day of Mourning and Protest" site in Elizabeth Street staged a spirited overnight vigil and demonstration here on July 9 and 10, the eve of a ruling by the NSW Heritage Council on the building's fate.
The activists are demanding that the state government honour its recently voiced commitment to Aboriginal heritage by saving the hall in which the first national conference of Aborigines was held in 1938.
Despite having warned organisers that it was likely to approve a development application which allows the site to be destroyed, the Heritage Council eventually deferred its decision, saying it would seek further discussion between Aborigines, the City Council and the building's owners.
The owners, the Cyprus Hellene Club, want to erect a 35-storey residential tower on the site. Ignoring widespread recognition of the enormous cultural and heritage significance of the site, the state government has paved the way for the redevelopment by granting a permanent conservation order for the building's facade only.
"The government wants to conserve that significant place by allowing it to be pulled down", said Jenny Munro of the National Aboriginal History and Heritage Council (NAHHC). "What sort of heritage conservation is that?"
Among the 40 or so who braved the cold to join the vigil were a number of descendants of the original "Day of Mourning" protesters who had travelled from as far as Lightning Ridge and Bourke for the action.
Hailing the Heritage Council's decision as a limited but crucial reprieve, organisers vowed to continue their campaign and are already planning follow-up actions for coming weeks. Contact the NAHHC on 9212 5275.