Who We are
We are Traditional Owners and representatives of the seven tribal groups of Country bound by the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac (MWI) Natural Resource Management (NRM) boundary.
Collectively, we are known as the MWI Traditional Owner Reference Group (TORG) and consist of members of the Juru, Gia, Ngaro, Yuwibara, Koinmerburra, Barada and Widi people. We are committed to managing, maintaining and protecting our tribal lands and sea within the MWI region. We discuss, develop and deliver opportunities to build capacity within the group and share cultural heritage and environmental values.
As representatives of the seven tribal groups of the region, we seek to develop opportunities to reconnect with Country. We direct and participate in on-Country activities to restore and protect cultural heritage and are charged with the responsibility to disseminate this material to the wider Indigenous community, as appropriate.
The MWI TORG consist of the following:
Juru Country
Includes lands north of Bowen.
TORG Member: Toni Pryor
Proxy Member: Jason Hartwig
Gia Country
Includes the mainland adjacent to the Whitsunday Islands, north to Bowen, south to O’Connell River and east to the Clarke Connor Ranges.
TORG Member: Agnes Boyd
Proxy Member: Sarah McAvoy
Ngaro Country
Includes the Whitsunday Islands and the mainland coastlines where they traded with Gia people.
Proxy Member: Emmakita Geia
Yuwibara Country
Yuwibara country boundary is north to Midge Point, south to Cape Palmerston, west to the Clarke Conner Range and 10 nautical miles east of the coastline.
TORG Member: Veronica Ah-wang
Koinmerburra Country
Includes Pine Mountain (Normanby Range) across to Styx River, north along the coast to Cape Palmerston, west to the Clarke Connor Range.
TORG Member: Marissa Deshong
Barada Country
Barada boundary is west of the Clarke Connor Ranges, south of Homevale National Park.
TORG Member: Open
Widi Country
Widi boundary is west of the Clarke Connor Ranges, north of Homevale National Park.
TORG Member: Arthur Kennedy
The Traditional Owner Reference Group provides an opportunity for the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac community to work together with Traditional Owners to improve the community’s knowledge of cultural heritage values and NRM issues within the region.
The TORG aims to make the MWI region a proactive leader in cultural heritage and environmental management. The TORG is governed by the Terms of Reference (under review) and is informed by the MWI TORG Strategic Plan 2017 – 2027.
Contact us via this form if you would like to:
- join TORG
- be involved in activities
- share information with TORG
- present to TORG
- make an inquiry or learn more