PROFILE

Since time immemorial, Traditional Owners have interwoven their culture and spirituality with the Great Barrier Reef.

Girringun Aboriginal Corporation represents nine Traditional Owner groups that have united since 1996 to preserve their culture and traditions - Nywaigi, Gugu Badhan, Warrgamay, Warungnu, Bandjin, Girramay, Gulngay, Jirrbal and Djiru people.

GAC is based at Cardwell, between Townsville and Cairns. Their Traditional Owners work tirelessly to ensure that their customs and the very land that sustains them are maintained, including a number of state marine parks as well as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

OUR WORK

Girringun developed Australia’s first Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and now manage an Indigenous Protected Area spanning 1.26 million hectares of land and sea. This includes parts of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Girringun supports and facilitates the active engagement of nine Traditional Owner groups in the co-management of traditional land and sea estates with regional, national and international partners. Girrungun’s work ensures that traditional management practices and knowledge are both recognised and incorporated strategically and on-ground to help keep country and culture healthy and strong across their nine Traditional Owner groups.

Girringun actively engages young people to care for Country through schools and their cultural centre and have also partnered with Gudjuda rangers to tag turtles and clean-up beaches after cyclones. This is vital to stop rubbish polluting our oceans and choking marine wildlife. 

SAPPHIRE IMPACT

Girringun Aboriginal Corporation is an Indigenous led model. As keepers of country, culture and community, support is required to enable our custodians and Traditional Owner groups to continue the vital and necessary work to manage the pristine ecosystem of our region, including the Great Barrier Reef.

GAC Rangers are currently working to implement plans of management and agreements for keeping Girringun country healthy. The rangers play a key role in the preservation of traditional ecological knowledge, maintaining significant cultural heritage sites like the Great Barrier Reef, participating in research activities and raising the profile of Aboriginal natural and cultural resource management in the area through community liaison.

Girringun runs a Young Rangers program for school-age children from their 9 Traditional Owner groups and in 2021 seek to employ a full-time co-ordinator for this work.

A donation being made on behalf of the Sapphire Board will help support this important work.

Girringun Aboriginal Corporation is a Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR1) by the Australian Taxation Office
ABN 55 744 388 981