Latest news with #Oades
West Australian
21-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Nyul Nyul country gains protected status
The Nyul Nyul people have gained national recognition for their efforts to protect country, with the declaration of a new Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) spanning 144,000ha on the Dampier Peninsula. The IPA will help safeguard freshwater springs, monsoon vine thickets, threatened species including the greater bilby and short-nosed sea snake, and stretches of sea country. It also cements Aboriginal-led conservation at the heart of land and sea management in the region. Kimberley Land Council (KLC) land and sea unit Manager Daniel Oades said the recognition was the result of years of dedicated work by the Nyul Nyul prescribed body corporate and ranger team. 'IPA recognition does not happen every day, and this hard-won milestone ensures that Nyul Nyul can assert authority over their country and shape land management according to the vision of the Nyul Nyul people,' Mr Oades said. The Nyul Nyul rangers have been actively managing their country since 2008, carrying out prescribed burning, biodiversity monitoring, cultural education, and sea country care. Their work has already earned national recognition through programs like their award-winning two-way science partnership with the local school. 'This IPA recognises 15 years of proactive land management, led by the Nyul Nyul rangers and guided by the PBC,' Mr Oades said. 'Their efforts have already made a significant impact on the health of country and community. The IPA now provides national recognition and a stronger foundation for future work.' Nyul Nyul ranger co-oordinator Preston Cox said the formal recognition marked an emotional and long-awaited achievement for the community. 'It's a good feeling in my liyan,' Mr Cox said. 'This is a great thing for Nyul Nyul country and people. We have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. This is about more than just land — it's about continuing stories, knowledge and connection,' he said. 'We've passed this knowledge down from generation to generation and with this recognition, all the young people at the ceremony today will be able to do that.' Nyul Nyul PBC director Fiona Smith said the declaration honoured the work of ancestors and future generations alike. 'We are carrying on the legacy of our old people,' Ms Smith said. 'I'm doing this work for my mum who is no longer with us — I continued this work for her because I want to see Nyul Nyul country protected now and into the future. My liyan felt good today.' The new IPA links with the Bardi Jawi protected area to the north and is expected to strengthen further efforts by neighbouring traditional owner groups, including the Jabbirr Jabbirr and Nimanburr, who are also developing their own IPA plans. The Kimberley Land Council says it remains committed to supporting Aboriginal-led conservation in the region.
BBC News
29-03-2025
- BBC News
Former Northumberland rail line reopens to walkers and cyclists
Part of a former railway has been brought back into use for the first in more than 70 first 5km (3 miles) of the Alnwick to Cornhill line in Northumberland, has officially opened to walkers and stretch, from Greensfield to Rugley Bridge, was last used in Oades, chairman of Borderline Greenway, said the opening was a "historic moment". The line opened in 1887, serving sparsely populated areas and was never profitable or floods in 1848, it operated in two sections - Alnwick to Wooler and Cornhill to Mindrum village. The line stopped running to Alnwick in 1953 and the Wooler to Cornhill section lasted until 29 March 1965. "It's quite a historic moment," Mr Oades said."We are reopening on 29 March 2025 - that's 60 years since the line itself was closed. "We felt it was a nice time to commemorate that and reopen it on the birthday of its closure."The project has been under way for about four years. Volunteers from the Borderline Greenway Community Interest Company raised more than £130,000 and cleared trees and vegetation back to the cinder base of the old to expose the original Victorian drainage system were also cleared and the bridge at Greensfield was reinstalled."The whole distance is levelled and dry and people of all abilities can walk it," Mr Oades long-term aim is for the Alnwick to Cornhill line to reopen, but planning permissions for the rest of the route will have to be secured first."There's lots of opportunity to add further kilometres, we could make it 40 or 50 km," Mr Oades added. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
