Indigenous land activists, Gympie council battle over stone at Memorial Park

An Aboriginal land activist has been charged following a clash with police and council workers in Gympie’s Memorial Park over a memorial stone to ‘fallen Kabi warriors’. SEE THE VIDEO

Aboriginal land activist Wit-boooka has been charged by police over his alleged efforts to erect a “sacred” marker in Memorial Park which sparked a clash with police and the Gympie Regional Council on Thursday morning.

The 58-year-old Southside man was arrested by police when they and council workers descended on the park to remove concrete foundations allegedly installed by Wit-boooka ahead of the stone’s planned installation on Saturday, March 23.

He has been charged with wilful damage and contravening a police order.

The stone marker acknowledges “fallen Kabi warriors” and reflects an ancient tradition of stones showing Aboriginal territories.

Wit-boooka and members of his land rights group, which claims to represent the sovereign Kabi tribe of the region, had been trying to install the stone near the Reef Street section of the park since Australia Day, January 26.

It was removed by an unknown third party on March 1, and the group had planned to re-erect it within a concrete footing.

That plan which allegedly included the laying of the concrete, sparked several days of confrontations between the group, police and council workers.

Gympie land rights activist Wit-boooka is taken away by police after a clash between his group, police and council workers on March 21, 2024.

Video of one conversation caught on video and posted online at the group’s Kabi Dreaming page on Tuesday, March 19, shows a worker with an excavator turning up looking for a “concrete spill”.

The battle over the stone and its intended placement reached a head about 9am on Thursday, when police and council staff arrived at the scene with machinery and removed the concrete footings.

Wit-boooka originally erected the stone at Memorial Park on January 26, 2024. It was later knocked down by an unknown third party, and Wit-boooka planned to re-erect it within a concrete footing.

Wit-boooka was arrested during its removal.

Footage of the arrest shared on social media shows Wit-boook telling police they have “no authority”.

“You’re breaking your own laws,” he can be heard telling police, saying they had a “moral choice” on how they did their jobs.

Police allege Wit-boooka was “obstructing council workers who were attempting to remove the monument”.

He is scheduled to appear in Gympie Magistrates Court on April 29.

Diane Djaki Widjung, a member of the group, said authorities turned up about 9am on Thursday and placed tape and cones around the site and declared it a work site.

“They said we were interfering with their work site,” Ms Djaki Widjung said.

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A concrete footing was removed by council workers and police on the morning of Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Ms Djaki Widjung said she was “respectfully” detained by officers during the foundation’s removal from the park, and locked in the back of a police wagon for a short period.

“When I explained to them they were breaching our human rights they detained me,” Ms Djaki Widjung said.

“They said I was breaching the peace.”

She was not charged.

Diane Djaki Widjung s, who was at the park when the concrete footing was removed by authorities, said she was temporarily detained by police but ultimately released without charge.

Gympie c has been contacted for comment.

Ms Djaki Widjung called the actions “heavy handed”.

“Most people liked it,” she said of the stone.

“They were really happy and looking forward to coming on Saturday to see the marker post put back.

“This is just heavy handed.”

The stone had previously been located at “Djaki Kundu”, more commonly known as the Gympie Pyramid, about 5km northeast of the city.

It was moved as a result of work on the Gympie Bypass at the area.

That work sparked protests and led to clashes between activists and authorities at the site in 2020, which led to members of the group being arrested and charged with trespassing.

Those charges were later dropped by police.

Originally published as Indigenous land activists, Gympie council battle over stone at Memorial Park