Clermont-Belyando Area Native Title Claim Authorisation Meeting

Clermont-Belyando Area Native Title Claim Meeting

The native title claim group comprises the descendants of one or more of the following people:

1. Billy and Lucy (parents of Jimmy Tarpot, Mary Ann Alboro and Mary Ellen)
2. Dan Dunrobin (also known as Dunrobin, Christopher Dunrobin and Dan Robin)
3. Frank Fisher (Snr) of Clermont
4. Jimmy Flourbag
5. Charlie McAvoy of Logan Downs
6. Liz McEvoy of Alpha
7. The Mother of Jack (Girrabah) Malone and Jim (Conee) Malone
8. Mary of Clermont (also known as Mary Johnson)

The purpose of the meeting is for the claim group:

(1) To authorise the applicant to deal with the application in the manner set out in the third further amended statement of claim filed on 12 February 2020 which includes the amendments dealing with the description of the claim group referred to below.

(2) To authorise the applicant to seek any necessary amendment to the claimant application dealing with the description of the claim group to the same effect as the claim group description in the statement of claim.

[7]The relevant parts of the statement of claim dealing with the claim group description read as follows:

The claim group comprises the descendants of one or more of the apical ancestors and who are recognised as holding native title in relation to the claim area under the traditional laws and customs referred to at [9A].

[8]The claim group members are descended from the apical ancestors being:

(a) Charlie McAvoy of Logan Downs
(b) Liz McEvoy of Alpha
(c) Jimmy Flourbag
(d) Billy and Lucy (parents of Jimmy Tarpot, Mary Ann Alboro and Marry Ellen)
(e) Dan Dunrobin (also known as Dunrobin, Christopher Dunrobin and Dan Robin)
(f) Mary of Clermont (also known as Mary Johnson)
(g) Frank Fisher Sr. of Clermont
(h) The mother of Jack (Girrabah) Malone and Jim (Conee) Malone.

[9A] Under the traditional laws and customs acknowledged by the claim group:

(a) surnamed family groups are a primary idiom for mutual recognition between claimants, as stated in JER proposition 5;
(b) the holding of rights is based on a broad form of descent reckoning and includes a degree of optation based on people’s histories of consociation with particular relatives, as stated in JER proposition 9;
(c) the effect of (a) and (b) is that membership of the native title holding group is based on descent and on a person identifying with the country of the claim area and being accepted by others as being of and from the country of the claim area.

(“JER proposition” refers to the joint anthropological experts’ report filed on 27 September 2018)

Appeared in the Courier Mail dated March 7, 2020

Some notes

Dan Dunrobin is mentioned in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Report of the Inquiry into the Death of Gregory Michael Dunrobin available here

Dan Dunrobin died 23.10.1938 at Cherbourg aged c50 years

Dan Dunrobin born c1920 at Clermont parents Dunrobin and Lizzy Dunrobin 
Bob Dunrobin born c1924 at Clermont parents Dunrobin and Lizzy Dunrobin

Lizzie Dunrobin, Dan Dunrobin, child, Bob Dunrobin, child removed to Barambah in 1924

Jimmy Flourbag died on 22.10.1938 at Cherbourg                 

Lenny Malone, born 1907, married 6. 3.1928 Cherbourg, father is Jack Malone and mother is Eliza Quentin (born c1888, parents Albert Quentin (European) and Jenny (Full Blood))
Jessie McEvoy. born 1906 Clermont, died 4. 3.1940 Cherbourg, married 6. 3.1928 Cherbourg, father is unknown and mother is Polly McEvoy

Jack Malone , Native Name Girribah , male aged 31 yrs, Native of Jericho Class Woongoo       
Jim Malone , Native Name Conee , male aged 47 yrs, Native of Jericho, Class Woongoo  
At Durundur in 1903