Statement of intent from the Holt Family Our organisation acknowledges the significance of the Kurnell area to Indigenous Australia and in particular to the traditional custodians, the Dharawal people and pay our respects to the Dharawal people and elders, past, present and emerging. Existing with our ownership of land we recognise that it always has and always will be Aboriginal land. We appreciate the importance of cultural heritage to Aboriginal people and it is that appreciation which is at the heart of our Statement of Intent. This Statement will lay the foundation for our organisation’s engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that through our work, we may see improved economic and cultural outcomes with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We intend that how we operate should provide an example of exemplary engagement that builds on the concepts of respect, reciprocity and relationships. We recognise that the Kurnell area has had a difficult and complex history since colonisation; a history that has had and continues to have, adverse impacts on the Dharawal people and the broader Indigenous Australian community. We believe that through culturally responsive and respectful engagement with Aboriginal people we can contribute to the truth-telling, healing and broader reconciliation movement within Australia. Truth-telling provides us an opportunity to tell a broader version of the history of the area and our involvement in it. We can continue to be proud of our history and the many and varied contributions made by our family over generations to the local and wider community. At the same time, we can recognise and acknowledge that Kurnell is and always will be, a site of deep sadness for Indigenous Australia, as the place where the first Aboriginal man was killed by colonisers before they set foot on the land and declared the initial untruth of the land being terra nullius. It is our intention to enable the multiplicity of stories of the area to be told, both old and new. As a family we have long been proud of our forebear’s role in the construction of the obelisk that commemorates the landing of Captain Cook at Kurnell and that marks the birthplace of what is now modern Australia. However, we want to be equally proud that we have helped to tell the story of Indigenous Australians in that same area, both before and after colonisation. We propose to do that in the future through our planning proposal outlining the future uses for our land at Kurnell. This will provide a unique opportunity for Indigenous Australia to speak to the multiplicity of stories and truth of the area from their own perspective. CONTACT US✉ INFO@BESMAW.COM.AU☎ 9923 1944EPL - HLRCEPL - SAND