About Us
Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust (BMERT) was founded in 2008 to promote local research and writing. It has paid close attention to studies in spirituality, First Nation people and the immediate environment. The Trust was named after Lawson, which was the original Blue Mountain. In time, the plural form of this name was applied to the whole region.
The vision of the Trust is ‘Seeking Wisdom in the Landscape and Peoples of the Blue Mountains’. The purpose for founding BMERT and its continuing intent is to promote local research and writing, especially in religious, environmental and Aboriginal studies. Concretely this involves encouraging individuals to take up particular lines of study and to bring them to publication. BMERT might see itself serving to inspire others.
The mission of BMERT is the seeking and diffusion of the cultural and spiritual wisdom that is inspired by the landscape and the peoples of the Blue Mountains. The distinct character of the Trust is our commitment to (a) disseminating knowledge and appreciation of the spiritual and cultural heritage and values of First Nations people to the wider Australian public and (b) contributing to a wider discussion of the values that inspire and nurture the human spirit.
Acknowledgement of Country
The Blue Mountains are located within the Country of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples. Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust (BMERT) recognises that Dharug and Gundungurra Traditional Owners have a continuous and deep connection to their Country and that this is of great cultural significance to Aboriginal people, both locally and in the region.
For Dharug and Gundungurra People, Ngurra (Country) takes in everything within the physical, cultural and spiritual landscape – landforms, waters, air, trees, rocks, plants, animals, foods, medicines, minerals, stories and special places. It includes cultural practice, kinship, knowledge, songs, stories and art, as well as spiritual beings, and people: past, present and future.
Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust (BMERT) pays respect to Elders past and present while recognising the strength, capacity and resilience of past and present Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Blue Mountains region.