40,000 years of Beaches Culture LAURIE BIMSON RECKONS HE KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT CULTURE. HE’S BEEN LIVING IT FOR 70 YEARS, PASSING THE TEACHINGS ONTO HIS OWN KIDS AND EDUCATING OTHERS FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS. OH YEAH, WE SHOULD ALSO MENTION HE’S LEANING ON HIS PEOPLE’S 40,000 YEARS OF LIVED EXPERIENCE. A FAIR RESUME, WOULDN’T YOU SAY? Laurie is a proud Garigal man from Guringai country, which takes in Manly-Warringah as part of its huge catchment area. Northern Beaches’ Indigenous numbers are small, but their importance to Aboriginal history is hugely significant.
WORDS: ADAM LUCIUS / PHOTOGRAPHY: WOTSO BROOKVALE
This area is considered one of the busiest places for Aboriginal rock art in Australia and played a major, albeit involuntary, role in white settlement. Laurie has made it his goal to educate not only his own people, but also the white population about Guringai’s standing and history in Aboriginal culture. He has been operating Guringai Aboriginal Tours since 2009, taking groups on bush walks through his people’s land and showing first-hand how his ancestors survived – and thrived – for centuries. “My ambition in life is to teach people more about my ancestors, about the land they’re living on, how we looked after it and how it all works,” he said. “I’m passionate about educating people.“
“I’ll get 20 people in my tour groups and sometimes you’ll see somebody there under sufferance, but I’ll generally win them over by the end of it. “I’ve got a way people seem to like. You’ve got to make learning culture a fun thing. Educate, not lecture.” Born in Narrabeen and raised in Frenchs Forest, Laurie believes there is a willingness to learn more about Aboriginal culture. But because it’s not in our faces, it’s been pushed to one side for too long. “Most of the traditional owners in this area, our skin’s not that dark,” Laurie, who grew up wishing his skin was darker, explained. “I didn’t go broadcasting it (his Aboriginality) too much because you got all these little questions. “As soon as you broadcast it, people ask, ‘Well, what percentage are you?’ “Everyone around here has their own life and are living in their own little world, and it (Aboriginal culture) hasn’t been pushed at them enough.” Laurie is doing his bit to ensure that changes. He said, “The funny thing is I see people going to the dog park and using their ball thrower, and they wonder where the design came from.” “Take a look at the Aboriginal woomera (spear-throwing device), and there you go.”
“I explain the engineering of a boomerang to my tour groups. If the Wright brothers had come and seen us a long time ago, they would have got those planes up there a lot faster. We could have sorted that out for them. “One of the most important learnings from Aboriginal culture is looking after the land better. The white man doesn’t look after the land very well. “We’re still building houses in flood plains and close to bushfire zones. “We need to learn and educate about how the environment works. “I take it for granted that I know these things, but it’s amazing the amount of people that don’t even think about it.” The key, according to Laurie, is to get to people at a young age in the hopes they pass on the message to their elders. “I work on the younger generation and ask them to go home and tell their parents about the boomerang and how we build houses and farming,” he continued. “I love teaching children about our ways and how my ancestors taught their kids, and the general history of my people and early white settlement / invasion of our country. “That bit hurts a bit but needs to be told. “I feel we are making some really good progress. Aboriginal culture, just in the last few years, has been more accepted.” •
LAURIE BIMSON // FB @GURINGAIABORIGINALTOURS // www.guringaitours.com.au Social // 23
