Traditional Owners have welcomed the decision to rename a national park on New South Wales’ south coast dubbed after a 19th-century Scottish slave trader.
The NSW government’s announcement on Sunday came as a surprise to Monaroo Elder BJ Cruse who’s spent years pushing for Ben Boyd National Park’s name to be changed out of respect for First Nations people.
“Aboriginal people have asked for many things for many years and a lot of time these things just fall on deaf ears, or governments put them on the backburner,” Mr Cruse said.
“I think this is a positive actioning of the Black Lives Matter objectives.”
An independent investigation into Ben Boyd’s history found the businessman guilty of ‘blackbirding’.
The term ‘blackbirding’ refers to the practice of kidnapping Pacific Islanders and using them as forced labour for little to no pay, in particular on sugar and cotton farms in Australia.
In 1847, Boyd coerced 192 men and women from the South Pacific to leave for NSW to work on his estates and ships.
"It is time to acknowledge the real history of Ben Boyd and remove his name from the national park that continues to hold enormous cultural significance for Aboriginal people," NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean said.
‘Not worth remembering’
Historian Mark Dunn found that Boyd’s practices were already viewed as a form of slavery by critics of his time.
On Boyd’s second voyage to recruit workers, Dr Dunn said the journey "descended into extreme violence" when his ships bombarded villages and killed numerous Islanders.
His schemes didn’t last long in NSW after the state government passed a law rendering his contracts invalid, but the practice of blackbirding later became commonplace in Queensland.
The Ben Boyd National Park on the far south coast of NSW spans across 47km of rocky coastline and sheltered inlets (NSW Government).
Around 62,000 men were brought to work on plantations in northern NSW and Queensland between 1863 and 1904.
"It is clear from the expert historical analysis that Ben Boyd's association with 'blackbirding' should not be reflected or celebrated in any way in our national parks," said Mr Kean.
"There are many people from NSW's early history who are worth remembering and celebrating but it is clear from this historical analysis that Ben Boyd is not one of them."
But the park isn’t the only landmark named after Ben Boyd.
Just south of Eden in Boydtown, Aboriginal leaders and members of the community have been advocating for the name change of Boydtown and several landmarks in his name around the area.
The Lyons Group, a property development company that owns a hotel and caravan park in Boydtown will announce their decision on whether to lobby the NSW Government for a name change following an internal investigation.
Boyd, who was killed by Islanders at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Island group in 1851, also has a road named after him in Neutral Bay in northern Sydney.
The North Sydney Council decided against renaming the road in September after a community-led petition prompted a discussion.
A sign in Boydtown; a village on Twofold Bay near Eden on the far south coast of New South Wales named after 19-century Scottish slave trader Ben Boyd. Source: Karen Michelmore
A new name
Consultations are set to begin with local Elders and Aboriginal communities to find a new name for the Ben Boyd National Park.
"By renaming the park, we not only celebrate ancient Aboriginal culture but also recognise its importance to Aboriginal people in recent history," Mr Kean said.
However, Mr Cruse believes finding an alternative name will present challenges.
“It's gonna be hard for Aboriginal people to agree on a name change, particularly because there are different language groups with the tribe,” he said.
“I think that all Aboriginal people with traditional cultural and sovereign links to the content should be invited to participate in the name change.”
Mr Cruse said he thinks the Minister should make the call after considering all the options put forward.
“Our people didn’t name places after each other, we named places for the significance of the place, what it means to our people and how it serves our people,” Mr Cruse said.
“That’s what the name should reflect.”
