Aboriginal artefacts, Collins Creek catchment, Woonona

John Skinner Prout, Native Encampment, Illawarra, 1843-44. Coloured engraving (1870) after original drawing.

A notable discovery…..

Aboriginal artefacts are very common in Australia – the result of 100,000+ years of habitation by the Indigenous (First Nations) people of this land. However, whilst common, they are also rarely seen, with most non-Indigenous Australians having little knowledge of their presence, detail, description or significance. There is also a tendency towards secrecy on the part of authorities and some members of the Aboriginal community in regards to Aboriginal cultural heritage and artefacts, whether that secrecy is warranted or not, and to what degree. For example, when, in association with a land-based development, an Aboriginal midden site, for example, is discovered, there is usually an archaeological investigation carried out by consultants, in association with representatives from the local community. The local Aboriginal Land Council is kept informed, a report is prepared, and the site is either destroyed or preserved. At the end of the day those who know of the discovery usually comprise the developer, the consultants, the relevant authorities (e.g. local government and the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service) and certain members of the local Aboriginal community. Very rarely is the general public made aware of such finds, no matter how significant, and, as a result, knowledge of Aboriginal culture and heritage remains scant outside of First Nations communities and the archaeological profession. It is therefore notable when discoveries are made and publically accessible. One of these occurred in May 2016 concerning artefacts found during the 1960s in a former Aboriginal camp site, or midden, located near Collins Creek, Woonona, on the New South Wales coast approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. The following correspondence refers to that discovery.

Correspondence between Kate Herring, Oyster Bay, and Michael Organ, May 2016

21/5/16 – KH: My name is Kate Herring. I have been aware of your research at UOW for some time, and I'm wondering whether you would be willing to provide some guidance for me on a difficult subject. I have a collection of five stone objects, which have been in my family's possession since the 1960s or earlier. My recollection is that my father claimed that these objects were Aboriginal implements or artefacts ("stone axes"), which he found whilst digging in a paddock on the property that he owned in Woonona. He claimed that he had found a midden and had retrieved these objects from it. I've had these objects in my possession for many years. I had been asked to keep them for my father, who died several years ago. I'm wondering if you could offer an opinion on what I should do with them. I'm aware that it is now illegal to interfere with a midden. I appreciate any advice that you may offer.

23/5/15 – MO: Kate - thank you for that information. Can you please send me a photograph of the items? Also, do you know the precise location of the midden? It is wonderful that these items survive and I am sure we can find a place for them.

23/5/16 – KH: Thanks for replying, Michael. The objects were found under a vacant block between our house at 29 Campbell St Woonona and the railway line. I think there is a house there now. Our house was demolished in the 1980s and there is a block of townhouses on the site. My deceased father claimed that the objects were from a midden that he found while he was cultivating the soil for vegetables. To the best of my knowledge it occurred sometime in the early to mid 1960s.

23/5/16 – MO: Kate – thank you for this. Aboriginal artefacts are more common than you would think, and especially in the Illawarra, as the local Aboriginal people lived here for a very long time. Unfortunately a lot of the artefacts are underground, under houses and development, or have been destroyed. The samples you have are important because of their location and known provenance. Looking at the map it seems that they were likely from a midden near a camp site associated with Collins Creek, which would undoubtedly have been a popular location for the local people over the many thousands of year that they lived around here. 

Tool making sites were often associated with large creeks and lagoons. Was your father’s vegetable patch also part of the present horse paddock? If so, maybe there is still part of the camp site / midden under the ground. Usually when development occurs and Aboriginal artefacts are found, they are often collected and passed on to the local community, and the development proceeds, with the original camp site / midden and adjacent location destroyed.  Perhaps I could drop by one weekend and have a chat about this and the items.

23/5/16 – KH: I checked the interactive Wollongong City Council map, and have identified that the location of the midden would be under the existing 29 Campbell Street. The property now known as 27 was the location of our house (I guess back then the actual address would have been 27 - 29 but my parents abbreviated it to 29). My father didn't cultivate the horse paddock at all, as far as I recollect. Yes, it makes sense that the local people would have had a camp close to Collins Creek. 

It seems very appropriate to me that the objects are reunited with the descendants of their traditional owners, if that is possible. I'm happy to meet up, but I live in Oyster Bay. If it's better for you, I can make an appointment and see you in Wollongong. I work part-time on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings only, so am pretty flexible. In the meantime I'll try to verify my own memories with siblings.

24/5/16 – MO: Kate - thank you very much for that and the further detail. I thought you lived locally. Yes, follow up and see if you can acquire any more information to add to the story.

24/5/16 – KH: If you look at 23 Campbell St on Google maps aerial view and check the driveway for the townhouses, follow it down to a parked red car.  My brother believes that was the approximate location of the find. That was definitely one of my father's veggie patches. So he remembers a different location, and as he was 6 years older he is possibly more reliable. I think he agrees on the mid 60s. That's as much information as I can give you. As I said, I'm perfectly happy to meet you with the objects, at the university or elsewhere. I'll fit in with whatever needs to be done to restore them to their rightful place.

Google maps view of townhouse complex at 27 Campbell Street, Woonona.

 

Site of the original location where the artefacts were found.

Follow-up

Discussions were subsequently held between Organ and a senior member of the local Aboriginal community in regard to the fate of local artefacts. Unfortunately there was no official Keeping Place. An idea arose to have a small collection of local material donated to each school - primary and secondary - for assess by students and teachers in highlighting the importance of the history and heritage of the place in which they live. However, this initiative never came to fruition. Also, due to circumstances at the time, a meeting was never held with Kate Herring, nor were the artefacts passed on to the local Aboriginal community as far as the author (MO) is aware. It is hoped that this can be rectified in the near future.

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Authors: Michael Organ and Kate Herring

Last updated: 18 February 2022 

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