Lyn O’Brien
Past Traces provides a personalised approach to heritage approvals based on each project’s individual requirements and consistently clear communication.
With over 15 years’ experience in the heritage profession, Lyn O’Brien, Past Traces director, provides effective solutions to heritage issues and ensures successful consultation with the Aboriginal community.
Since completing her BA (Hons) in Archaeology at the Australian National University (ANU) in 1996, Lyn has held a variety of consulting positions, from field assistant through to regional manager/ senior archaeologist, accumulating skills and experience in field techniques, project management and liaison, negotiation and consultation.
For 5 years, Lyn held a research position at the ANU’s Research School of Pacific Studies investigating the colonisation of the Australasia/ Pacific region, resulting in several publications. As a senior heritage consultant for several major consulting firms, Lyn gained extensive experience managing major and small scale projects, conducting numerous field surveys and excavations and authoring reports across both Aboriginal and Historical archaeology.
Specialising in Aboriginal cultural heritage, she has extensive experience working with Indigenous and other community stakeholder organisations throughout NSW and the ACT. Her depth of knowledge and experience enables her to apply a detailed understanding of the varied legislative requirements at Commonwealth and State or Territory levels to your project and to work within the cultural sensitivities of Aboriginal stakeholders.
Team Members
Past Traces utilises the expertise of a number of professionals in associated fields such as historic and built heritage, ecology and geomorphology. Using these and other available resources, Past Traces can organise highly competent field teams for larger projects, consisting of qualified, experienced field assistants.
Past Traces works closely with Aboriginal communities, engaging representatives on all field projects, in accordance with ACT and NSW guidelines. All representatives are listened to and their comments on cultural values are included in our reports and recommendations. At all times, Past Traces strives to act in a culturally appropriate and respectful manner in our relationships with Aboriginal communities.
