COUNCILLOR Jess Jennings hopes a go-kart track on Mount Panorama can bring people together in the futue, not drive them apart.
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At an extraordinary meeting last week, Bathurst Regional Council approved modifications to the original go-kart track plans, which has taken years to make very little progress on.
News that the go-kart track would be before council again stirred a wave of opinions in recent weeks, only adding to the contentious nature of the project.
The biggest objection to the track was regarding Aboriginal cultural heritage, which the Wiradyuri community said a significant amount of would be lost if the track went ahead at the top of Mount Panorama.
While councillors understood their concerns, they had to weigh those up against more than $500,000 worth of cultural studies that reported nothing of significance being found at the site.
Cr Jennings said that his vote to go ahead with the modifications was for several reasons, among them being that it was not possible to "rectify or counteract 200 years of colonisation through a single local government development application".
“While I accept the need for better recognition of Indigenous Australia and look forward to promoting different aspects of that along those lines, this development application was not about to change 200 years of colonisation,” he said. “And the lack of confidence of the claims also made it very difficult.”
Cr Jennings hopes that the go-kart track can be a step towards better relationships with the Aboriginal community.
He wants to see the council offer an Indigenous karting program, which would give young Aboriginal people a platform into motor sport.
“I've heard Bill Allen (Dinawan Dyirribang) give his welcome to country and he often claims that this is a men's initiation site and that's what white culture does up there through the Mark Skaife and Peter Brocks of the world and the young race drivers,” he said.
“There's no reason why the Indigenous community can't engage in that kind of initiation and benefits of the enjoyment of racing as well.”
Cr Jennings has also suggested that the kart club have an Indigenous director on the board, who can help build a relationship between the two parties.
He has spoken to the club about the idea and said that they are receptive to it.
“It’s just a matter of establishing a good working relationship and finding the right person,” Cr Jennings said.
"They said they are open to the idea and I think if it could be delivered in a harmonious, constructive way then it would have a lot of benefits for both sides.”
Finally, he would like interpretive signage to be placed around the site regarding cultural heritage.
