We have received quite a bit of correspondence from past climbers and people who lived and worked around Ayers Rock. This story is from long term Red Centre resident David Hewitt. Thankyou David! A Climbers Tale from David Hewitt, Alice Springs For years now I have been advocating for continuation of climbing the Rock because Anangu had no concerns about it up to about 1991. I have been visiting Ayers Rock since 1965 - Bob Gregory was the head ranger at the time and three years later Derek Roff took over. He was a wonderful man who developed a very fine relationship and excellent communication with traditional owners. We knew Tiger Tjalkaliri , his brother Peter Bulla, Tony Tjanuwa, Paddy Uluru , Mintjinyiri and Nipper Winmati, and amongst the women, Barbara Nipper, Judy Trigger, Judy Brumby, Topsy Walter, Nellie Patterson and others. In the 20 years from 1964 when we first met some of these people at Amata, none of them ever raised objections to climbing the Rock. Nor...
Our mountains belong to all of us. The Right to Climb them and bask in their views that inspire awe and wonder is as old as the human genome. This long-established cultural tradition is under threat by a small group of bureaucrats determined to impose their way on the rest of the world. It is right to Climb because we have the Right to climb. If you don’t exercise your rights you lose them. Don't let petty nanny state bureaucrats take them away.