An ancestor's remains have been repatriated from Austria and returned to Narooma's Wagonga Inlet

It was a poignant moment when the remains of an ancestor were returned to Wagonga Inlet, in Narooma, on Walbunja country.

Even the kookaburras seemed to understand that something significant was happening, loudly announcing their presence when the smoking ceremony began.

Aunty Vivenne Mason presided over the solemn ceremony at Paradise Point, overlooking Wagonga Inlet, on Saturday 23 November. Julianne Mason, chair of Wagonga Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) organised the day.

Shane Hamilton, deputy secretary of Aboriginal Affairs NSW, and his colleagues, regional manager Lana Callaghan and Seth Merritt attended, as did Mark Simon and Shane Herrington from Heritage NSW’s repatriation and conservation team.

In early 2022 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) contacted Aunty Vivienne to tell her that the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Vienna had the 600-year-old remains of an ancestor taken from Wagonga Inlet.

“I didn’t know they were there until I was contacted by Amanda Morley of DFAT,” Aunty Vivienne said. “Because she was going over there with another group, we gave her permission to bring the remains back to Australia.”

The remains were prepared for the journey home by members of the La Perouse LALC who, at Aunty Vivienne’s request, accompanied the remains on the journey.

“The majority of community in La Perouse have kinship ties down here,” Aunty Vivienne said. “We were very grateful and thankful they did that on our behalf.”

Aunty Vivienne worked with DFAT and Heritage NSW to organise the flight and repatriation, and Aboriginal Affairs NSW supported through the Minister’s Discretionary Fund.

Heritage NSW’s Mark Simon said they guided community members through the complexities but tried to let the community lead as much as possible.

He was notified of the remains returning to Australia in September. “It can take up to six to 12 months to do what we need to do, so to do this in two months the Wagonga LALC and Aunty Vivienne worked hard and tirelessly.”

Ms Mason also travelled to Canberra for a ceremony at the National Museum of Australia with Aunty Matilda House on 22 November before bringing the remains to Narooma.

Ms Mason shared with the people attending the ceremony that the National Museum of Australia had told her the ancestor was 25 to 30 years old when she passed.

“She was dug up here on the Wagonga Inlet around 1875 and removed from here by a local. The remains went to Sydney, were sold off and went to Austria,” Ms Mason said.

The Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts said the earliest mention of the ancestor arriving in Austria was 1905.

“She has had a bit of a journey,” Ms Mason said.

During World War II the remains were in a bunker that was bombed. The remains were lost, then found and put into a museum.

There was a lot more detail to the ancestor’s “heartbreaking” story that could only be shared with elders and traditional owners.

Aunty Vivienne said it was the third repatriation her people had done since the 1880s. All came from museums.

“If there are any other remains, we don’t know about them. We have an idea through our archives that remains were taken from here, but it is very vague,” Aunty Vivienne said. “We don’t know where they are or who is holding them. So, until people contact us, we have no idea.

“When we found out, it was very emotional to think we had the opportunity to bring this lady back to her country and ensure proper respect and burial on her land,” she said. “You have to do the right thing culturally.”

A Departmental spokesperson said the Australian Government acknowledged the importance of respecting and promoting the rights of First Nations people to repatriate their ancestors and cultural heritage material.

“Support of this work is also a vital part of the process of truth-telling and reconciliation,” the spokesperson said. “Since 1990, the Australian Government has supported the repatriation of approximately 1730 ancestors from overseas.”

The spokesperson said the government had also supported the return of ancestors and secret sacred objects held in eight major Australian collecting institutions.

Just a few of the people attending the ceremony were permitted to accompany Aunty Vivienne down a track to take the ancestor’s remains to her final resting place overlooking the water, ocean and all the important places along the coast like Gulaga and Barunguba.

Tears were shed at her burial site but there was relief the ancestor was back where she belonged.

An emotional Aunty Vivienne said the ancestor “is now buried in a beautiful, very peaceful place”, near another repatriated ancestor.