A local Aboriginal group on K’gari are pushing for changes to the way the island is managed following the death of a Canadian teenager found surrounded by dingoes.
The grieving parents of Piper James, 19, arrived in Australia this week and travelled to the island for a traditional smoking ceremony held by the Butchella people in honour of their daughter.
Ms James was working on K’gari, formerly Fraser Island, when she went for an early morning swim on January 19. Her body was found a short time later surrounded by a pack of dingoes near the island’s popular tourist site, the SS Maheno wreck.
An autopsy uncovered evidence of ‘pre-mortem’ dingo bites but said drowning was the most likely cause of death. It has been suggested the dingoes attacked her and corralled her into the water where she drowned.
Ms James’ death has triggered demands from traditional owners for a full review into the management of K’gari, with the Butchella Aboriginal Corporation (BAC) revealing it wants to cap visitor numbers, close sacred sites on the island and revamp the dingo management plans.
‘We want to to work with the government to make sure there’s protocols in place for wongari (dingo) management,’ Butchella man Conway Burns told NITV on Thursday.
‘Maybe temporary closures, to relax certain areas, when the packs are in their prime … which will be hard, especially when it’s breeding season over Easter. We need to sit down and walk together and put these processes in place.’
Grieving parents Todd and Angela James touched down in Brisbane on Tuesday morning after a long flight from their home in Campbell River, about 200km northwest of Vancouver.
The couple were distraught and declined to speak with waiting media when they arrived in the country.
‘It’s hard, it’s just so hard,’ Mr James said.
Their arrival was the first stage of the couple’s emotional journey before they embarked on a devastating pilgrimage to K’gari on Wednesday and met traditional owners for a smoking ceremony held on the beach near where Ms James was found.
It was previously revealed the 19-year-old would regularly get up early to go for a swim at the beach and call her parents back in Canada.
‘This ceremony is important and cultural protocols for us and a way to bring calm to the land, acknowledge her spirit and offer the healing to all,’ BAC director Christine Royan said.
The Butchulla people have a deep spiritual connection to the land and the tragedy has devastated the entire island, she said.
‘We wanted young Piper to leave with footprints of good memories to come back another day,’ Ms Royan said.
‘It (the smoking ceremony) is part of our culture and responsibilities … to honour the life and ensure the spirit churning is peaceful.’
Mr James earlier confirmed their travel plans on social media.
‘It is now time to go to Australia to be with Piper, walk where she last walked, and try to feel the spirit of my baby girl in some way – we will return with Piper back home to Canada,’ he posted on Facebook.
The family will hold a ‘beautiful celebration’ of their daughter’s life with a funeral service on February 28.
Six dingoes have been euthanised following the incident after displaying aggressive behaviour. The BAC said they would meet on Friday to discuss their burial.
‘They’re our companions. Once upon a time they walked with us. They were our watchers, our camp dingoes, as well as wild ones,’ Mr Burns said.
Rangers have also increased patrols across K’gari – the world’s largest sand island – following the tragedy.
More than $40,000 has been raised for the James family in a GoFundMe campaign set up by a family friend.
CRE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15530223/Family-backpacker-Kgari-Fraser-dingo.html