About - Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation

Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation

The Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) (NTA) requires that, following a native title determination, native title holders establish a Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC) to manage and protect their rights and interests. These corporations must incorporate under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act) and register with the National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT). Once registered, they become a Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC).

Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (EMAC) was established in 2011 as an agent PBC following a positive consent determination by the Federal Court, covering an area known as PART B—from Deen Maar (Lady Julia Percy Island) to Dunkeld—shared with the Western Gunditjmara People, represented by Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.

In 2023, a second determination expanded EMAC’s jurisdiction from Yambuk to Aireys Inlet, reaching Middle Creek and Ararat, and looping south to Dunkeld.

EMAC is a formally recognised Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP), with responsibilities for protecting and managing cultural heritage across a broader area extending to Winchelsea and Landsborough.

As the representative body for Eastern Maar citizens, EMAC leads the advancement of native title rights and interests, cultural heritage protection, high-quality policy advice, and initiatives aligned with the inherent rights, aspirations, and independence of its people.

Each of the 13 identified Eastern Maar family groups has a position on the board. Directors have two year terms.

Full list of Directors:

Family Group 1: Albert’s Family, Andrew Alberts
Family Group 2: Austin Family, Allan Miller
Family Group 3: Clarke/Clark Family, Vacant
Family Group 4: Chatfield/Clarke and Berg/Clarke, Ronald (Mackie) Chatfield
Family Group 5: Harradine / Blundell Family, Vacant
Family Group 6: Clarke/Lowe Family, Jamie Lowe (Chairperson)
Family Group 7: Clarke/Lovett Family, Lisa Rose Thorpe
Family Group 8: Clarke/Austin/Rose Family, Cathy Austin
Family Group 9: Clarke/Rawlings Family, Julie Jose
Family Group 10: Clarke Family, Vacant
Family Group 11: Couzens Family, Teresa Coverdale
Family Group 12: Rose Family, Roslyn Clarke-Britton
Family Group 13: Richard Sharp Family, Ebony Hickey – (Deputy Chairperson)

Recognised Native Title Holders

In July 2011 the Eastern Maar and Gunditjmara peoples were recognised as the native title holders for an area of their Traditional Country in south-west Victoria between the Shaw and Eumerella Rivers and from Yambuk in the south to beyond Lake Linlithgow in the north.