A “very special” ACT oval is a step closer to Indigenous ownership — a decade after the ACT government first made the promise.
The return of Boomanulla Oval in Narrabundah to community control was a Labor election promise in 2016, 2020 and 2024, but a new committee has now met to discuss overseeing the transition.
The oval was established in the 1980s and many have described its local cultural significance.
Kim Davison says it was devastating when the community lost control of the oval. (ABC News: David Sciasci)
“It’s more than an oval, it’s a cultural and sporting centre,” committee co-chair Kim Davison said.
“It’s hosted sporting events, football teams, cricket teams, NAIDOC celebrations, mentoring programs … We’ve had funerals there, weddings.
“I know that personally, we were kicked out of our wedding reception in Phillip … and we just transferred over to Boomanulla, it was very memorable for me,”
she said.
The transition of ownership is part of a government agreement with the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body.
The oval was named after a 1940s rugby league player who was nicknamed Boomanulla. (ABC News: David Sciasci)
Ngunnawal Elder Caroline Hughes is also part of the committee and said Boomanulla Oval was a meeting place.
“Boomanulla Oval has always been a place of deep significance for Ngunnawal people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” she said.
“When I think of Boomanulla Oval, I think of community, [sitting] with elders, listening to their stories and making sure they felt respected, valued and part of mob.“
The oval was named in honour of an Indigenous rugby league player for the Redfern All Blacks in the 1940s.
Boomanulla was the player’s nickname, which means speed and lightning.
First ACT asset handed over
First Nations Canberrans have been promised the oval would be handed back for the past three ACT elections. (ABC News: David Sciasci)
The lease for the oval was granted to the Indigenous community in 1984 by Charlie Perkins, who was the federal secretary of Aboriginal affairs.
“It was marked as the first asset actually handed over to the Aboriginal community in the ACT,” Ms Davison said.
The Aboriginal Corporation for Sport and Recreation Activities (ACSRA) then ran the oval before financial difficulty forced it to close the gates.
The responsibility for the oval then returned to the government, which subsequently renovated and maintained the facility.
Kim Davison says losing control of Boomanulla was “heartbreaking”.
“I was so distraught and so were a number of our community people … we just want Boomanulla’s future to be shaped by the people who it belongs to,”
she said.
“It is a very special place.”
‘Taken a long time’: Berry
Boomanulla Oval has been described as a special site for Indigenous people in the ACT. (ABC News: David Sciasci)
Minister for Sport and Recreation Yvette Berry said the government was not opposed to the handover.
“There was not really a consensus for a way forward within the community … so it has taken a long time, but this is a really exciting milestone,” Ms Berry said.
“Some people might see it as just a sports field, but it’s much more than that. You can hear that from the stories people [tell] and their close connection to that place.”
“It’ll take as long as it takes. I think it’s important after such a long period of time and how significant it is that the interim management group takes the time to get it right,”
Ms Berry said.
According to the government’s agreement with the elected body, a plan for the future use of the site could be put before cabinet for approval by the end of the year.
The committee has promised it will consult the public and honour existing sporting commitments as it works towards the transfer in 2027.
