“It breaks my heart” - Push for larger memorial at lost Indigenous reserve to recognise those who came before

Hidden in the shrub within an industrial area on the outskirts of Katanning, an isolated plaque is the only remaining symbol of a reserve which holds decades of Indigenous history and culture. What once was a tight-knit community scattered with colourful tin and steel homes, The Old 5 Acre reserve has been mostly forgotten, buried under the industrial commercial activity dominating the outskirts of town. One of the last remaining local Noongar women who grew up on the reserve, Susan Ford, has spoken about the desperate need for greater recognition of Indigenous ancestry and culture in Katanning and throughout the Great Southern. “It breaks my heart when I go back there, because you just close your eyes and think of all the children running around, you can hear the elders,” Ms Ford said. “I can picture in my head where they all lived and the kindergarten that used to be there for all the children. It’s all gone.” Life was not easy for Ms Ford’s parents in the early 1940s as Aboriginal people were not allowed to be on the streets of the town. Growing up on the reserve in the 1960s before moving away to Longmore at the age of 13, Ms Ford said the existing memorial plaque was in an area that was off-limits for Noongars at the time. While the memorial is situated on Crown land, Ms Ford has called on the Shire of Katanning to help install a bigger plaque with the names of those who lived on the reserve alongside a photo from the time. She said the new plaque should be in an open space to give the Indigenous community a place they can go and be proud of their ancestry and culture. “This is about paying tribute to the elders, our ancestors and descendants,” she said. “It is very important for our younger generation to have a place they can go and see their grandparents’ names and see where they lived and grew up. It was an amazing place. “Acknowledge our people, the First Nations that were there. They aren’t doing that and the current memorial doesn’t do us justice.” Shire of Katanning chief executive Julian Murphy said the Shire encouraged Ms Ford to pursue the project. “The Shire of Katanning fully supports activities that recognise Aboriginal ancestry and culture in Katanning and the Great Southern,” he said. “While it is not necessarily the Shire’s responsibility to take the lead on the installation of a plaque at The Old 5 Acre reserve in Katanning, we encourage Ms Ford to pursue her proposed project and the Shire will support those endeavours where we can. “We are currently working closely with the Katanning Noongar Leadership Group on a range of projects that will honour the importance of Noongar people past and present in the community. “In order to do this appropriately and respectfully, we will continue to work in partnership with the local Noongar community.”