Albany elder calls for unity as community rallies against violence in wake of shocking CBD brawl

As families reel from the shocking brawl on Stirling Terrace that left two young men seriously injured earlier this month, Noongar leaders young and old are appealing for unity and action to stamp out violence in our community.

Three people have been charged over the incident which left a 24-year-old man fighting for his life after being allegedly struck by a machete then hit by a car in the early hours of July 18.

Menang elder and Albany Aboriginal Corporation chairman Lester Coyne said the impact of the incident had rippled through the community.

“There are a number of people who have been quite shocked at what has happened in our beautiful city. There is a lot of sadness about the whole issue,” he said.

“There are a lot of consequences of some very quick, foolish actions.”

In the wake of the incident, several meetings have been held in Albany involving Aboriginal leaders young and old.

Mr Coyne said families would speak in the coming weeks before a community meeting with WA Police next month.

“We do need to get together. It is going to be hard for both parties to reconcile their differences given what has happened and the serious nature of it, but it is going to be the only way,” he said.

“We are not the ones who have been physically injured, but we are the ones that should be responsible for working out some sort of resolution to this and looking at ways that we can get around that without having our kids resort to ongoing violence.

“There’s lots of learning to be done here and there is quite a bit of teaching too. It is not an easy task but given the circumstances, it is something we have to put our minds to.”

Mr Coyne said local agencies, services and community groups needed to work together to support local families and stop any further violence.

“There are a lot of families in the area and in our town that have been left behind in some of the prosperity that has been happening in and around the region,” he said. “I think there are a lot of families that could do with some help and support, and that is part of our job at the Albany Aboriginal Corporation.

“We have got to work together for the sake of the town and the sake of the people.”

Mr Coyne said he wanted to work with families to ensure young people could go out and enjoy themselves safely.

“It is a fantastic city we have got, and we want to make it even better but we have to find out the cause,” he said.

“I think a lot of the programs have looked at symptoms and we need to look at the cause, and the cause will usually start in the home, so we have to look at it from there.

“My focus has always been on the homes. When someone leaves that front gate and goes out into community, I would like to think that they are well equipped to be responsible and be respectful of other people and we are not seeing that.

“I think we have got to have a foundation or some training in regards to young people understanding that there are better ways of resolving issues than violence.”