Sacred Aboriginal land eyed for burial plot expansion

WOULD you want to be buried on sacred Aboriginal land? A packed Sydney cemetery is eyeing off an ancient burial site next door for its expansion plans.

Randwick Councillor Murray Matson at Botany Cemetery with the neighbouring Market gardens in the background. Tensions between Chinese market farmers and Botany Cemetery Trust is at an all-time high after the cemetery used large excavator through farmer Robert Teng's farms. Picture: John Appleyard

BOTANY Cemetery in Sydney’s south-east is running out of space for burial plots, but its expansion plans have run into conflict with the local Aboriginal land council.

The Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust wants to take over coastal land at Bumborah Point, to the south of the cemetery, which is understood to be home to sacred Abo­riginal shelters, middens and rock engravings.

Chris Ingrey, chief executive of La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council said it was ­“highly likely” Aboriginal people were buried on this land.

“Bumborah Point is significant to the Aboriginal community, and the land council has a cultural and legal interest in the site,” he said.

“Culturally, it’s highly likely any midden on a coastline is a burial site.”

The proposal seeks to avoid encroaching on the nearby market gardens, part of an earlier expansion proposal that sparked strong resistence from Randwick Council.

Botany cemetery has proposed to secure land at Bumborah Point for its expansion.

Randwick Greens councillor Murray Matson has fought to protect the Chinese Market Gardens from a cemetery expansion. Picture: John Appleyard

While the Trust does not have approval to use the market gardens for burial use, it was granted a licence over one of the lots, which is on Crown Land, in 2010 to investigate if the land was suitable for such use.

A Save the La Perouse Market Gardens spokesperson said the decision by Crown Lands to hand management directly to the Trust had delivered a valuable ‘bargaining chip’ which the Trust is now playing in its claim for public land around Bumborah Point.

Chinese Market Gardens near Botany cemetery.

Ahead of last night’s council meeting, Greens councillor Murray Matson said: “It is time that we identify a date by which Botany cemetery is officially designated as full and closed to the use of new burials”.

“This will then require a recognition that a new site has to be found elsewhere in Sydney,” Cr Matson said.

Randwick deputy mayor ­Anthony Andrews said the proposal was a “win-win” for the community. “We will maintain our market gardens but also ­address the issue of shortage of burial spaces.”

Chief executive of SMCT, Graham Boyd, said he wasn’t able to comment on the proposal, because of “protocol policy reasons”.