John Batman descendant given honorary name Kuboroo by Aboriginal elder in spirit of reconciliation

DESCENDANTS of key European and Aboriginal figures at the time of Melbourne’s founding have come together in an act of true reconciliation.

John Batman Weire and Murrundindi. Picture: Andrew Tauber

TWO blokes are chatting in front of a dugout canoe at Healesville Sanctuary.

One jokes to the other: “The treaty is still on, so you owe me big time brother.”

The pair are not real brothers, but they are linked by almost 200 years of intertwined Aboriginal and white settler history.

Murrundindi (born Gary Hunter) is descended from 19th century Wurundjeri tribal elder Bebejan, while John Batman Weire is the great-great-great grandson of Melbourne pioneer John Batman.

Murrundindi and John Batman Weire share in their linked history. Picture: Andrew Tauber

While controversy rages over Batman’s famous “treaty” with local indigenous leaders in 1835, the two men have embraced history in a spirit of true friendship and reconciliation.

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They met in 1999 and the bond was sealed when Mr Batman Weire gave Murrundindi two boomerangs that had been owned by his legendary ancestor.

“My mother always said to me if you find someone who gives you respect and respects your culture then adopt them as your brother,” Murrundindi said.

So Mr Batmain Weire got the honorary name Kuboroo, meaning koala.

“When I met Murrundindi I didn’t just gain a friend, I gained a brother,” he said.

Murrundindi, who is the sanctuary’s indigenous cultural adviser, is upset with the move by Darebin Council to rename Northcote’s Batman Park after his late mother Gumbri.

“Me and my brothers were not consulted about this — politics, power and money have taken over our culture,” he said.

Murrundindi said his mother, who proudly displayed the Australian and Aboriginal flags on Australia Day, would not have approved of the name change.

“You don’t take someone’s name off and put someone else’s in, it’s absolutely ridiculous,” he said.

John Batman Weire and Murrundindi with statue of legendary Aboriginal leader Barak at Healesville Sanctuary. Picture: Andrew Tauber

Mr Batman Weire said there should have been a compromise, such as renaming the park Batman-Bebejan and making it a place to showcase Aboriginal culture and history.

“Batman never bought the land, he just leased it through the treaty,” he said.

“He said the Wurundjeri people should be able to continue using the land as they wished.”

The treaty was not recognised by British colonial authorities.

Darebin Council has said that the name Gumbri was suggested by her grandson Colin Hunter Jr, who is a member of the official Wurundjeri tribal council.

@JMasanauskas