Ceremony for pole installation

Around 100 people attended a ceremony marking the installation of the Bouddi Spirit Poles in Wagstaffe on Sunday, September 15.

The event began with an Aboriginal smoking ceremony performed by Umina's Stuart McMinn, who is a man of the Dharug and Waka Waka Aboriginal Nations and member of the Mingaletta Aboriginal Community, and finished with a performance by local jazz group Mary's Boys.

Mr McMinn has spent much of his life learning his traditional culture which he now teaches to others and regularly performs smoking ceremonies for the local community.

He explained that the purpose of the smoking is to cleanse and to signify the completion of the hard work of the community in making something beautiful.

Mr McMinn commented that the smoking of the poles was a great celebration of the communities' love and passion for the area and that the poles have such a commanding effect and are a true sign of what a community can achieve when they pull together.

Project organiser Mr Terry Baker spoke at the ceremony and said that after 20,000 years, the Aboriginal community had left no real scars on the environment and the poles were evocative of what great Australian indigenous singer-songwriter, Archie Roach, termed "spirit of place".

He said the poles were not totem poles, but rather spiritual or spirit poles in the true sense of the word.

The poles were carved by volunteers who had little or no wood working experience.

Ms Leanne Koppen spoke on behalf of the carvers of her particular experience starting with no woodworking skills and, over the past 12 months, coming to adopt carving as an ongoing hobby.

Carvers involved in the project were Penny Butcher, Chris Dillon, Ian Provest, Donella Waters, Anne and Tom Jackson, Marion Baker, Jean Scott, Ray Bass, Bill Gregor, Hildegard Anstice, David Jackson, Mason Williams, Nick Urie and Terry Baker.

Email, 1 Oct 2013

Ian Bull, Wagstaffe-Killcare Community Association