celebrationoffirstnations

Yorke Island (traditionally known as Masig) is a coral cay situated in the Eastern area of the central island group in the Torres Strait, 2.7km in length and 800m at its widest point. The people of Yorke Island are skilled navigators with a detailed knowledge of the reefs and have always occupied a central position in the Straits trading networks. Source: www.tsirc.qld.gov.au/communities/masig

Church of St John the Evangelist (built 1924), Masig Island (aka Yorke Island), Torres Strait, Queensland, Source: www.alamy.com/stock-photo-church-of-st-john-the-evangelis...

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In 1871 on 1 July representatives from the London Missionary Society arrived on Erub Island (Darnley Island) accompanied by South Sea Islander evangelists and teachers. Clan Elder and Warrior, Dabad greeted them on their arrival. Ready to defend his land and people Dabad walked to the water’s edge when the Rev Samuel McFarlane dropped to his knees and presented The Bible to Dabad. Dabad accepted the gift, interpreted as the ‘Light’, introducing Christianity to the Torres Strait Islands. The people of the Torres Strait Islands adopted the Christian rituals and ceremonies and continued to uphold their connection to the land, sea and sky, practicing their traditional customs, and cultural identity referred to as ‘Ailan Kastom.’ Each year on 1 July, ‘The Coming of the Light’ or ‘Keriba Lagaw Buiya’ in traditional language is a day of celebration, performance, oral tradition and reverence. Source: www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/coming-light-celebrating-150-year...

A Salvation Army officer at Nanango, William Thompson, secured the severance of 7000 acres from the Barambah pastoral station in 1901. The allotment was gazetted as a mission station and known as the Barambah Industrial School. Its establishment predated the beginnings of Murgon township by three years. Thompson gathered local Aborigines onto the mission station and was superintendent until 1904. Conditions were rudimentary, worsened by drought and lack of finance. Control of Barambah passed to the state government in 1905, but the superintendent allowed Aboriginal residents to be forcibly hired out for casual labour in the rapidly growing local agricultural economy. Despite this, the settlement became substantially self-sufficient in food (goats, poultry, vegetables), a hospital was built and a sawmill opened in 1917. Improved housing was built with locally milled timber." Source:https://queenslandplaces.com.au/cherbourg-aboriginal-shire-council

Talking about The First Nation we can not escape historical facts and consequences of colonisation.

Vesna Verencevic At the State library we hold the Cherbourg Tindale genealogical [family history] collection. For more information please visit. www.slq.qld.gov.au/research-collections/family-history/ab... and more.