Our Heritage

Bingara has a rich heritage, which is treasured by the community.  Memories aren’t something reserved for the past, but the impetus that drives the present and indeed the future.  The restoration of The Roxy Complex plays testimony to that.

The past is revered and celebrated in Bingara, not only by preserving structures like the Battery Stamper, Campbell Bridge and its magnificent Heritage Buildings, but through symbolic initiatives, like the planting of Our Orange Trees.  Planted as a living memorial to Bingara’s fallen in World Wars I and II and harvested on only one day of the year, the young in Bingara are taught the significance of the past and the part it has played in the present.

The Myall Creek Memorial is another great example of how Bingara remembers its past, the good the bad and the ugly.  Myall Creek is now one of Australia’s most important centres of reconciliation and was recognised as such when on the 170th anniversary of the massacre, the site was placed on the National Heritage List (June 2008).

Bingara Advocate article covering the event
…“The events at Myall Creek resonate across the years and the listing of the Myall Creek Massacre and Memorial Site formally recognises a pivotal moment in Australia’s history,” Mr Garrett said.  “The fact that so many people gather each year from the Myall Creek community, Indigenous elders and the relatives of those killed to honour and remember those who died and continue the journey of reconciliation is a testament to the communities deep understanding and acknowledgement of this crucial chapter in our history…
[Read full article…]

[Photo: Myall Creek Memorial committee member Sue Blacklock & Heritage Minister Peter Garrett,  holding the plaque commemorating the  site’s addition on the National Heritage List.]

Bingara treasures its Past, lives for the Present and has planned for its Future.

“Today, buildings, artifacts, and other remnants of the past are seen as being vital threads in the collective memories of communities.

These remnants of the past enable individuals to affirm their identity as part of a community or group as their memories form part of the larger communities’ memories.

They share a common collective memory of the same place.

Memory of the past and identity are thus inextricably linked.”
~ David Lowenthal