National Parks completes consultation with Aboriginal community over Ben Boyd renaming

A spokesperson from NPWS said the facilitator running the consultation had recently completed workshop discussions with Aboriginal community members on a possible new name.

Fifth generation Thaua man Steven Holmes confirmed with ACM he had participated in the consultation and said he was happy with how things were progressing.

Mr Holmes first raised the idea for a name change for Ben Boyd National Park in 2018 after years of discussion among traditional custodians.

The decision to rename the gazetted park in the language of traditional custodians, recognising the Aboriginal cultural heritage of the area, was announced on Sunday, November 14, 2021.

This followed NPWS engaging independent historian Dr Mark Dunn to examine the historical record of Benjamin Boyd on the NSW South Coast, and specifically his role in 'blackbirding', a practice that involved the coercion of people through deception or kidnapping to work as slaves or poorly paid labourers.

When finalised, a historical analysis and evaluation report confirmed Boyd's involvement in 'blackbirding', which, even at the time, was viewed by many as a form of slavery.

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Environment Minister Matt Kean said the decision had followed requests from Aboriginal communities to rename the park due to Ben Boyd's association with 'blackbirding' and it was "... clear from the expert historical analysis, that Ben Boyd's association with 'blackbirding' should not be reflected or celebrated in any way in our national parks".

Today, May 10, the NPWS spokesperson said the consultation over the last few months had included conversations with local Elders, Aboriginal community representatives and Australian South Sea Islander representatives.

"NPWS will also have conversations with Bega Shire Council. Until agreement on a new name is reached, NPWS will not disclose the options being put forward in the consultation."

Once approved by Geographical Names Board, NPWS will officially rename the park. More information on the state government's plan can be found here.