A sacred "grandmother tree" and culturally significant land in Central Victoria will be protected for future generations after crowdfunding raised enough money for an Indigenous group to buy back the land from its private owners.
The "grandmother tree", a towering river red gum named Me-Mandook Galk, is estimated to be up to 400 years old and is sacred to the Dja Dja Wurrung people.
After the recent destruction of sacred sites around the country, First Nations people of Central Victoria and other non-Indigenous locals set up a crowdfunding initiative 10 days ago to raise $150,000 to buy a pocket of private land adjacent to Me-Mandook Galk, which grows on Crown land.
They have reached their goal.
Uncle Rick Nelson said the tree was of great significance to Indigenous people and knowing that it would now be protected for many future generations was a great relief.
Uncle Rick said the name 'Me-Mandook Galk' translated to "beautiful grandmother tree" and it, along with the culturally significant land around it, would be a place for young Aboriginal children to go to receive teachings from elders.
"This little block is important because it's on one of the major creeks here and … we've also found some Aboriginal grinding stones.
"Aboriginal people were around the area.
Connecting with country
The Dja Dja Wurrung land adjacent to Me-Mandook Galk will be used as a place for Aboriginal group Nalderun, which is based in Castlemaine, to hold its youth programs.
At the moment, Nalderun has a Kuli Business young men's group, Tidda Business young women's and non-binary people's group, and the First Nations youth program — which are all without their own base.
Uncle Rick said it was time for traditional owners to reconnect with their land.
The owners of the land that will now be sold to Nalderun want to remain anonymous.
Me-Mandook Galk sits on Crown land owned by the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning and is protected by Dja Dja Wurrung rangers.
'We feel our ancestors here'
The crowdfunding campaign was driven by Mamunya, the name given to the non-Indigenous supporters of Nalderun.
The Mamunya wanted to protect the culturally significant land around Me-Mandook Galk and to provide a sacred place for Nalderun's education programs for Aboriginal children, young people and families.
Nalderun chief executive officer Kathryn Coff said Aboriginal children needed a sense of home.
"They know they are the protectors and guardians of country into tomorrow," she said.
"And to be shared, so that all can experience what we and our kids feel and remember in every cell of our bodies. It's like we can sing, dance and be with our ancestors there."
At the moment, the Aboriginal children in Nalderun's 'Meeting Place' program attend lessons at an old, disused primary school. But now, they will be able to learn from their elders on country.
A bush tucker knowledge program for an Indigenous Landcare group will also be run on the land beside Me-Mandook Galk.
The move to safeguard Me-Mandook Galk comes after the felling of a "directions tree" sacred to the Djab Wurrung on the Western Highway near Ararat in south-western Victoria, the partial destruction of an ancient eel-shaped rock formation at Lake Bolac, also in the state's south-west, and the highly publicised destruction of caves at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia.
