Voice advocate and ‘Aboriginal elder’ hits back at accusations he is faking his Indigenous heritage

A vocal Voice to Parliament advocate is locked in a bitter dispute over whether he really has Indigenous ancestry after a Land Council leader labelled his claims ‘offensive’.

Neil Evers, 81, who is from Sydney’s northern beaches, claims to be of Aboriginal descent and a distant relative of historical colonial-era figure ‘King Bungaree’.

He was a panellist at an official Yes23 community forum meeting at the Manly Leagues Club in Sydney’s north on Wednesday night along with Voice architect Thomas Mayo, Teals MP Zali Steggall and novelist Thomas Keneally.

Mr Evers was promoted as a ‘Guringai elder’ at the forum.

Metropolitan Land Council CEO Neil Moran told Sydney 2GB radio host Mark Levy on Wednesday that for Mr Evers to speak ‘as an Aboriginal’ at the event ‘was offensive’. 

‘He was not born Aboriginal,’ Mr Moran said.

‘He has no life experience. He’s not inherited any knowledge, any passed-down customs or traditions… dare we say the trauma and realisation of what our people have gone through.’

The claims of Aboriginal descent lodged by Mr Evers were rejected by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council – the elected representative body for Aboriginal people for the northern beaches area since 1983. 

Mr Moran said council members rejected Mr Ever’s 2011 application to be recognised as a traditional owner because there no proof he was a descendant of King Bungaree.

‘Self-identification of finding an ancestor… in this case finding a photograph in a box or records… that doesn’t qualify one as Aboriginal,’ Mr Moran said.

Under Australia’s three-part test for those claiming to be Indigenous, the person must identify as Aboriginal, the Aboriginal community must recognise the person as Aboriginal and the person must show they are of Aboriginal descent.  

However, Mr Evers claimed that Mr Moran had previously accepted his claims.

Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Nathan Moran says his organisation rejected Mr Evers’ claim to be Indigenous

‘I have already been in there, nearly 20 years ago to be registered at the Land Council and it was Nathan Moran who actually accepted my three tier,’ he told the Daily Telegraph.

‘And then I was told, because I come from Guringai, that there is no such area as a Guringai, so they wouldn’t register me.’

Mr Evers claimed Aboriginality at the age of 67 after his cousin Bob Waterers, who has passed away, found a photo that he beieved showed he was Aboriginal and included in a family history book.

Mr Waterers identified an ancestor called Sarah Wallace and wrote: ‘It has been suggested that Sarah may have been the daughter of his (Bungaree’s) first wife Matora.’

Mr Evers said Mr Waterers found other evidence including a box with all the births, deaths and certificates dating back to 1772 which showed his entire lineage.

He says his grandmother was Aboriginal and part of the Stolen Generation.

‘At the time we just thought she had a good sun-tan,’ he said.

‘We are descendants of Bungaree we can definitely trace it back to him.

‘It’s crazy stuff, Nathan Moran just wants to demote us’.

Mr Moran said a website of the descendants of Bungaree, who helped colonial settlers map Sydney, have rejected the claims Mr Evers is an ancestor. 

Prominent Voice advocate Thomas Mayo shared the stage with Mr Evers at the Wednesday Yes23 event on Sydney’s north shore

Despite being promoted as a ‘Guringai elder’ for the Voice23 event Mr Evers denied this was the case.

‘I have never called myself an elder,’ he told the Daily Telegraph expressing surprise he had been promoted as one. 

Mr Moran and Mr Evers are in dispute over a plan by the Metropolitan Land Council to build hundreds of homes on land they own on Lizard Rock in the northern Sydney suburb of Belrose. 

Local resident Mr Evers has been a leading opponent of the proposal and has appeared at protests along with local federal Teal MP Sophie Scamps.

NSW has recognised the Metropolitan Land Council as the traditional authority for Sydney northern beaches area since 1983, whereas Mr Moran said Mr Evers could not specify where his Indigenous ancestors came from. 

‘Identifying is one thing but then to claim that he speaks as a cultural person connected to that land is a fallacy,’ Mr Moran said.

‘There’s no actual evidence of Mr Evers or his extended family having any cultural connections to Belrose, Oxford Falls, the Northern Beaches.

 Mr Evers said that if Mr Moran continues to question his Aboriginality he may have to consider defamation.

‘He is detracting from the Voice – I’m here to advocate for the Voice,’ Mr Evers said.