ON THIS DAY

Australian history re-written

Australian history was re-written following the discovery of human remains on 26 February 1974 at Lake Mungo in western NSW by geomorphologist Jim Bowler. They became known as Mungo Man and are considered to be around 40,000 years old.

That made Mungo Man the second oldest modern human fossil east of India and the oldest human remains found on the Australian continent. Mungo Man provided evidence that Aboriginal people had lived here much longer than the generally accepted timeframe of 20,000 years.

In 1969 Bowler discovered another set of human remains at Lake Mungo, known as Mungo Lady. She had been cremated which constrained scientific analysis. Originally Mungo Lady was dated at around 20,000 years old but is now thought to be around 30,000 years old. Her remains are one of the world’s oldest-known cremations.

To put these timelines in the context of world history, the Roman Empire ended 1,500 years ago and Troy fell 3,200 years ago.

After the discoveries the remains were taken to the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra for research. Dating varied as new scientific technologies became available and ranged up to 60,000 years for Mungo Man. Lake Mungo was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

Controversy existed around whether the remains should be repatriated to the three traditional tribal groups of the area – the Paakantji, Ngyiampaa and the Mutthi Mutthi. ANU returned Mungo Lady to Lake Mungo in 1992 and Mungo Man in 2017. Their remains were kept in a vault at the Lake Mungo National Park. In May 2022 both were re-buried at a site known only to a few.

A reader has sent in an opinion on the placemaking process. Was there really community consultation?

There has been some talk in the community lately about SCC’s plans for investing $1.77m into town. Council is responsible to our community to listen and respect our ideas so it is important to understand if they have in fact done this. On further investigation it would seem they have.

Cr David Law said, “During the election in 2020 the lack of streetscaping was raised as an issue and promises had been made previously but not followed through. After being elected I secured funding for this in the budget”.

The Eumundi placemaking project has been in various stages of consultation and design since then. Initially council went to the community to find out what our town’s vision and values were. There were market stalls, a business night, a sausage sizzle in the park, online surveys, individual meetings with six prominent local community organisations, design workshops and business walk arounds.

Based on the information and feedback a draft was designed which then had further consultation through two display sessions held in town at different times and days to allow a cross-section of the community to attend and via an online survey. There were advertisements in the windows of local businesses, online and in print.

As a result more than 200 community members provided feedback on the draft of which 71% believed “the community values and vision are reflected in the design”. Not all the community were in favour – with parking and traffic management/safety the issues of most concern.

Council has stated: “The design’s approach focuses on safety by adding two pedestrian crossings. These crossings are designed to provide improved accessibility on both market and non-market days, in balance with traffic and parking needs. The space for an estimated 11 lost carparks (net) will be converted into areas to accommodate pedestrian crossings, street trees and seating areas. The project also aims to better connect Memorial Dr to more than 400 free onstreet carparks within a four-minute walk of Memorial Dr.”

� Has supported hundreds of families in the community since 2009.

� Is a small Independent, family run early childhood Montessori centre.

� Affordable with Child Care and Kindergarten Subsidy.

� Very Limited positions for 2023, call for a tour today! 11

As a teenager in Southern California, Eumundi resident Rex Halverson was passionate about the natural environment. He became disillusioned as endless strip malls, condos and tourism developments sprang up. After an early career in hi-fi and computer retail Rex and his family moved to various parts of the USA running retail stores and then to the UK where they lived for six years. Rex was responsible for the European and Asian operations of a number of tech companies including in Russia and China. Ever on the move the Halversons relocated to the Sunshine Coast 10 years ago. They immediately became activists to preserve our incredible wildlife and environment. With a small group passionate about koala protection, Rex and his wife Meghan founded Queensland Koala Crusaders to raise awareness of the dire situation.

They lobbied politicians and businesses and spoke to public groups, media and at clubs and schools. Then there was fundraising, planting vital food trees, supporting volunteer carers of sick and orphaned joeys, transporting injured koalas to Australia Zoo or Wacol, supporting the koala tracker dogs' program and encouraging others to join the group. Rex also became actively involved in four not-for-profit organisations including the Noosa Biosphere Foundation where he was Chair until 2022.

With his extensive business experience and commitment to a clean environment, Rex and another Noosa local, Jon Rowe, recently put their efforts into promoting an atmospheric water generator or humidifier called Airqua. It filters air and at the press of a button produces purified water, eliminating the need for plastic bottles. Rex believes the Airqua has a wide application from homes to offices, restaurants, resorts and wherever pure water is needed.

“We must all become caretakers not consumers if we are to improve our lives and our country,” said Rex. Eileen Walder