By RHODA ROBERTS AO

Forty years ago on October 26, 1985, the title deeds for Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park were formally returned to the Anangu Traditional Custodians in a powerful ceremony at the base of Uluru.

That day the red earth witnessed both justice and renewal as the Traditional Custodians signed a 99 year lease back to the Commonwealth, creating a joint management partnership that has since become a model for Indigenous land stewardship across the nation.