Page 685 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 March 2019
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MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Disability, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Government Services and Procurement, Minister for Urban Renewal) (10.14): It is a privilege to rise today to honour the life of respected Ngunnawal elder Kingswell Carl Brown. In doing so, I acknowledge that we meet today on Ngunnawal land, Uncle Carl’s land, with which he had such a strong connection. Uncle Carl is survived by his wife, Louise; his four children, Tina, Justin, Adrian and Nevada; and his seven grandchildren, Justine, Jed, Chloe, Leilani, Kelsea, Johbie and Nyima.
I offer my deepest condolences for their loss and welcome any family and community members joining us here today. Born in Yass at the Hollywood mission, Uncle Carl spent his early years in Yass before moving to Canberra when he was 17. After working in construction for many years, as others have said, the opportunity of a career change came, and he started working with archaeologists around Canberra.
Uncle Carl served his community in many ways, including through the United Ngunnawal Elders Council and through chairing one of the four representative Aboriginal organisations. Through the United Ngunnawal Elders Council, he proudly represented his people and provided vital advice to the ACT government, particularly in relation to Ngunnawal heritage and connection to country.
As chair of the King Brown Tribal Group, Uncle Carl advocated for the protection of sites of social, spiritual, historic and commemorative importance to his people. Uncle Carl was a softly spoken, generous man who had a passion for sharing his knowledge of and pride in the cultural history of his land.
He knew the value and importance of recording and documenting his cultural knowledge for current and future generations. Uncle Carl did this in many ways. One of these was the publication Understanding the land through the eyes of the Ngunnawal people. It is a natural resource management program for ACT schools.
Another was his work with the National Museum of Australia for its Encounters exhibition, where Uncle Carl recorded oral histories of the area and its people. This work endures in perpetuity. There is no doubt that current and future generations of Canberrans, Australians and anyone interested in the Canberra region’s true history will benefit from Uncle Carl’s work.
Uncle Carl’s legacy is also felt and seen in Canberra’s natural world, where his wisdom was shared and advice given on sacred sites. He also represented his people through welcomes to country and would often reflect upon and share a story of his land and people. It was always a privilege to be present when Uncle Carl was delivering a welcome.
In recent times, Uncle Carl passed on the honour of his welcome to country role to his daughter Tina. Now Tina’s welcome often incorporates a story that her father passed on to the family. Uncle Carl’s spirit and connection to this land are reflected in his own words:
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