An Upper Hunter Aboriginal group has relaunched its campaign to prevent a mine expansion destroying land which it says was the site of an Aboriginal massacre in the 1820s.
Plains Clans of the Wonnarua People has lodged a new application under sections 9 and 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act, 1984 over land earmarked for the Glendell Continuation Project at Ravensworth.
The group withdrew an earlier application to allow more time to research the area's history.
The group's new application is supported by a 176 page cultural values assessment report that details several bloody incidents of frontier violence in the area.
If approved, it would be the first successful application made in NSW.
Glencore plans to extract 135 million tonnes of coal from the area as part of a project that would extend the life of the company's existing Glendell open cut mine near Ravensworth until 2044.
Colonial records show a series of attacks and counter-attacks between Aboriginals and settlers occurred at the Ravensworth Estate and the adjoining Lethbridge Estate between 1825 and 1826.
Tensions culminated in late 1827 when, with the endorsement of Governor Darling who sought revenge for the murder of two settlers and destruction of crops, a posse of mounted police and settlers hunted down and massacred a group 18 Aboriginals.
"We have an obligation, not only to future generations, but to our ancestors whose blood was spilt fighting for our country, our culture, our beliefs. The are is part of a transit route where full-on fighting between our ancestors and the invaders occurred. There are massacre sites and more to be uncovered," Plains Clans of the Wonnarua People chairman Robert Lester said in the application.
"[We] need to ensure that our cultural and heritage values are protected and the memory of our people who laid down their lives for our country are never forgotten in history....Their bodies were desecrated with no ceremonial rituals performed for them to return to the dreaming after death."
