Australian Standing Stones
AUSTRALIAN STANDING STONES
Mr CHAPPELL (Northern Tablelands) [5.44]: I draw the attention of honourable members to an historic event which is to occur in the northern New South Wales town of Glen Innes on 1st February, 1992. As an act of commemoration of the role played by people of Celtic descent in the development of Australia, the Australian Standing Stones will be dedicated by His Excellency the Governor of New South Wales, Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair, AO. This array of 38 granite stones standing about four metres out of the ground follows the ancient Celtic custom of erecting such arrays of stones, though the origin of the custom is shrouded in the mist of history. We do know that this massive project carried out by the people of Glen Innes and bearing the imprimatur of the Australian Celtic Council will say to all who visit them for generations to come that many people of Celtic origin - Scots, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, Manx and Bretons - played a significant part indeed in the white settlement and development of Australia. All of these people are, of course, proud Australian citizens. They are not seeking to establish any exclusivist notion of superiority or ranking for the role they and their forebears played. It is simply that they were part of the development of this, our great country. And they readily acknowledge the role of other migrant peoples in this story of nation building. Of course they recognise also the proud history of the Aboriginal people of Australia, whose culture and traditions reach many times further back in time than the known history of the Celts.
The Australian Standing Stones will be the first such monument to the Celts anywhere in the many lands to which they have emigrated and in which they have settled, bringing their energy, skills and culture. It seems that this new array of standing stones
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may be the first to have been erected for at least 3,000 years. It is certainly the first to be built in the Southern Hemisphere, though many such arrays dot the British Isles. The stones at Stonehenge, at Callanish on the Isle of Lewis and in many other places draw many thousands of tourists each year. Those tourists come to look, and more importantly to ponder on many events, customs and skills of our forebears. Equally, those who visit the Australian Standing Stones in Glen Innes will have reason to ponder on the works, the culture, and the simple human stores of those early white settlers who opened up and settled this huge new land. The people of the Glen Innes district, like those of many other areas of Australia, now comprise proud Australians who themselves or whose forebears came from most corners of the globe. But placenames like Glen Innes, Dundee, Glencoe, Ben Lomond, Llangothlin and even Stonehenge bear testimony to the origins of the settlers of this district. They came to farm, to mine, to trade and to build.
It is important to record for posterity just how much a part those people played. The Standing Stones will help to do that. All of those associated with this project hope that not only will the Standing Stones for ever anchor the role of the Celts in Australia's development but also they will act as a spur to many other peoples who are equally proud of the role that they and their forebears have played to find similar ways of expressing their pride in being part of the rich tapestry of Australian life. The array of stones will consist of the four cardinal points of the compass and represent the Southern Cross. The Guide Stones will be focused on sunrise and sunset at both the winter and summer solstices. The Gaelic Stones will represent the Scots, Irish and Manx, and the Brythonic Stone will represent the Welsh, Cornish, and Bretons. Of course there will be also an Australis Stone recognising those who were here before we came. My purpose in raising this matter in the House is to bring to the attention of all members, whether or not they have Celtic ancestry, that this historic event is about to happen and that they, their families and constituents are welcome. Plans are well in hand for major celebrations surrounding the official dedication of the Australian Standing Stones. All Australians of Celtic ancestry should try to come for the dedication or put Glen Innes on future holiday or travel plans. They will not be disappointed. I compliment the people of Glen Innes on the continuing vision, energy and the sense of history they have shown by the way they have involved themselves in this project. I thank the Australian Celtic Council for the great contribution it has made to this important project in celebrating the history and commitment of Celtic peoples in Australia.
Mr ARMSTRONG (Lachlan), Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs [5.49]: I am sure that I speak on behalf of all honourable members of this Parliament in congratulating the people of Glen Innes and the Celtic societies on recognising their role in Australian history in such a physical manner. I extend the very best wishes of all honourable members to Glen Innes and the Celtic people for that celebratory day in February of next year. I ask the honourable member to take our best wishes to the people of the district.