Maitland’s Citizen of the Year urges caution over the proposed rezoning of Glebe Paddock in East Maitland.
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Local Aboriginal man Lance Murray said he believed the site and surrounding area was sacred to thousands of indigenous Australians before European settlement in the Hunter.
Mr Murray, a collector of Aboriginal artefacts, said one of his friends found 20 ancient grooving stones at Glebe Paddock recently.
He said Aboriginal people used the stones to sharpen tools and weapons.
“When you read further into it there could have been up to 4000 Aboriginal people living by the lake,” he said.
“I’m convinced there is something of Aboriginal significance on that land.
“To develop it puts that at risk.”
Mr Murray said the number of Aboriginal people recorded as living near Glebe Paddock when European people arrived in the Hunter meant there was a high possibility that there were sacred sites there.
Because he was not a member of the group that traditionally lived in the Maitland area, Mr Murray said he could only use research to speculate about the significance of the land.
But he said he believed burials occurred at the site.
The state government is considering a planning proposal to rezone Glebe Paddock from rural to residential to make way for 40 residential lots.
Maitland City Council has consulted Maitland and District Historical Society, Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council, and Lower Hunter Wonnarua Council over the rezoning proposal.
An Archaeological Cultural Heritage Assessment and a statement of heritage impact was submitted by developers with the proposal.
The Glebe Preservation Society also identified the site as an area of Aboriginal significance.