Home » 2017 » Call for ‘offensive’ art removal

Call for ‘offensive’ art removal

A regional Aboriginal corporation has called for “culturally inappropriate” artwork created by local artist Quinton Atkinson at Swan Hill’s new indigenous-themed meeting place at Jaycee Park to be removed.

The Wamba Wamba Barapa Barapa Wadi Wadi First Nations Aboriginal Corporation (WWBBWWFNAC) wants the sign shields, which represent the traditional custodians of the land, removed from the developed parkland. 

It comes after a group of protesters marred the opening last month.

Wamba Wamba and Barapa Barapa elder Hazel Atkinson said the project was “poorly planned” and no prior informed consent was obtained by Swan Hill Rural City Council or artists from the four corporations set up for native title and cultural heritage purposes. 

“Swan Hill is Wamba Wamba country and to have art projects unauthorised from Muthi Muthi and Barapa Barapa is culturally offensive and inappropriate,” Mrs Atkinson said. 

To read more about this story, grab a copy of today’s Guardian (September 21). 

Digital Editions


  • Scoot on down for country tunes

    Scoot on down for country tunes

    COUNTRY music will once again make its home in Tooleybuc, when Col Thomson and a collection of talented artists take the stage for Murray Muster…

More News

  • Stanthorpe Festival – crushing for 60 years

    Stanthorpe Festival – crushing for 60 years

    Queensland’s Granite Belt comes alive this month for the long-running Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival – a celebration of food, wine and community. The event, starting on Friday 27…

  • Riverside celebrations

    Riverside celebrations

    ABOUT 160 people flocked to the shores at Mensforth Park for breakfast and the annual duck race on Australia Day. Taking home $500 in first place was Kathy Fawcett, with…

  • Man run over, woman stabbed in Piangil

    Man run over, woman stabbed in Piangil

    A PIANGIL man surrendered himself at a police station after it is alleged he deliberately ran over a man in a 4WD before stabbing a woman last night. Police claim…

  • New pool party date set

    New pool party date set

    HEADSPACE Swan Hill’s 10th birthday celebration will now be held next Monday, February 16 from 3.30pm to 6pm at the Swan Hill Outdoor Pool. Postponed due to extreme temperatures which…

  • Shaping future water management

    Shaping future water management

    THE future of the Murray-Darling Basin is under renewed scrutiny following the release of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s 2026 Basin Plan Review discussion paper, prompting a wave of reactions from…

  • Barham stun Rams

    Barham stun Rams

    MURRAY Downs have suffered a second straight defeat, after losing to Barham under the Friday night lights to end the 2025/26 Northern Valley Premier League home-and-away season. It might not…

  • Budget submissions

    Budget submissions

    A FISH sculpture trail along the Murray, a sustainability rebate for households and a new Swan Hill library are among 18 community-driven ideas now on the table as Swan Hill…

  • Plan under review

    Plan under review

    The Murray–Darling Basin Authority says it has spent the past 13 years “working towards ensuring a healthy, working Murray–Darling Basin.” But more than a decade on, the key document guiding…

  • Karinie set for upgrade

    Karinie set for upgrade

    MAJOR roadworks are set to begin on Karinie Street in Swan Hill early next month. Council director of infrastructure Leah Johnston said extensive planning and community consultation had been undertaken…

  • Shire lobbies for regional funding

    Shire lobbies for regional funding

    BALRANALD Shire Council will make a submission to a federal parliamentary inquiry, arguing that long-term underfunding and cost shifting have left remote councils struggling to remain financially sustainable. The House…