Rodney Stevens

A development application is currently on public exhibition for a new portrait of Yaegl elder Uncle Ron Herron to be painted on a Maclean pump station after it was graffitied last August in what was described as a ‘kick in the guts for our mob’.

The colourful portrait of the widely respected Yaegl elder on the River Street pump station, by street artist Austin ‘Nitsua’ was painted over in white paint over the weekend of August 7 and 8, 2022, with the perpetrator still unknown.

Collective outrage was expressed from Indigenous groups and leaders across Australia when news of the mural being defaced spread.

At the time, Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation YTOAC CEO William Billy Walker expressed his disgust at the callous act.

“It’s unacceptable and a kick in the guts for our mob as we try to raise our profile in Yaegl Country, following our successful native title claims,” Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation’s CEO, William (Billy) Walker, said.

Uncle Ron Herron, who has degrees in archaeology and anthropology and lectured at Southern Cross University for 10 years, was awarded a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) by Macquarie University in 2014.

Over the past eight months, the YTOAC and Clarence Valley Council have been working on getting the mural repainted, with plans now progressing to the development application DA stage.

After producing the first stunning portrait of Uncle Ron Herron, street artist NITSUA will be commissioned to paint the new portrait, which he said will be covered with an anti-graffiti clear coat that will enable any future attempts at defacing to be quickly and easily removed.

The new portrait is very similar to the previous image of Uncle Ron Herron, but the background features a kaleidoscope of colours covering the pump station’s concrete structure.

In accordance with Clarence Valley Council’s Public Art Procedure, a heritage impact study was conducted and although the pump station is council property, a council spokesman said the approval authority is NSW Government’s Crown Lands.

“The mural will not impact upon a historic structure, or any significant building fabric, and is not visually obtrusive within the direct views or setting of heritage items,” the DA statement of heritage impact states.

“The mural provides a positive interpretation of the important Indigenous cultural heritage of the area, alongside other existing interpretations such as the tartan patterns on the power poles for example which represent the Scottish cultural heritage of pioneer settlers.”

Now the DA has been submitted, the community consultation process has begun and Clarence Valley Council welcomes submissions from members of the community and industry stakeholders as this helps with informed and transparent decision making.

Anyone making submissions about the DA must be aware they are not confidential and considered public documents.

Submissions can be made online at https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/Forms/Development-application-DA-submission and close at 4pm on May 15.