palms

Armistice Day 1918 By JOL Admin | 11 November 2013 On 11 November 1918, three German government representatives accepted the Armistice terms presented to them by an allied commander, General Foch of the French Army. The demands of the Armistice included the withdrawal of German forces to the east bank of the Rhine within 30 days; immediate cessation of warfare; and surrender of the German fleet and all heavy guns with no further negotiations until the signing of the peace treaty. The armistice became effective at 11 am the same day, and as the guns fell silent on the Western Front in France and Belgium, four years of hostilities ended. World War I began in 1914 and lasted for four years. 57 705 Queenslanders enlisted for service. More than 60 000 Australians were killed, including 45 000 who died on the Western Front in France and Belgium and more than 8 000 who died on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. As well as Australian soldiers, many nurses in the Australian Army Nursing Service served on the Western Front. These nurses worked in overcrowded hospitals for up to 16 hours a day, looking after soldiers with shocking injuries and burns. Those who worked in hospitals close to the fighting were also in danger of being shelled by the enemy. In Australia and other allied countries, including New Zealand, Canada and the United States, 11 November became known as Armistice Day - a day to remember those who died in World War I. The day continues to be commemorated in Allied countries. Source: www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/armistice-day-1918

English-born John Greenwood Barnes arrived in Mackay in 1863 and was the earliest settler on the northern side of the Pioneer River. Barnes had spent ten years in Victoria, perhaps initially at the goldfields, but he had developed an interest in gardening. The Mackay Mercury reported in 1868, "Two young vigorous looking orange trees were blooming in foliage, their branches literally loaded with golden fruit, fast-ripening under the genial influence of climate and the good quality of the ground". But it was the coconut palms initially planted in 1867 which increased to a plantation of 1200 trees that brought real fame. "These trees, growing in a most luxuriant manner, produce very fine fruit which was of much larger size than those obtained from the South Seas." Cremorne was already a popular venue for weekend entertainment when in 1884, Barnes erected a two-storey hotel that featured a promenade roof. Attractions for children were provided and fundraising fetes and concerts were held in Cremorne Gardens, which were possibly based on Cremorne Gardens in Melbourne, rather than those in London. developing his gardens by his father-in-law and former business partner, William Seaward, remembered for his keen interest in horticultural and agricultural pursuits. Source: www.mackayregionalbotanicgardens.com.au/about/history_of_...

Yarrabah is the traditional country of the Gunggandji and Mandingalbay Yidinji people. These people had traditional beliefs and values different to those we have today. They were guided by Buleru, ancestral spirits who gave us our cultural law, belief system and creation stories and followed a defined social structure and kinship system. Our people were hunters and gatherers, the surrounding rainforest and beachside traditional lands around Cape Grafton provided food in abundance. Dwellings were made from material found within the environment, the structure dependent on wet season or dry season needs. The initial route of Captain James Cook and the crew of the HM Endeavor anchored off the northern shore of Cape Grafton and crew members made land looking for water. This was the third landing as part of the journey northward and the perils at Cape Tribulation. While Australia had been colonised by the British in 1788, Aboriginal people living on the eastern coast of Cape York had little contact with non-Indigenous people prior to the 1850s. Only a few brief encounters with British Royal Navy crews were documented. Cultural practices, particularly language ceremony and beliefs were all suppressed during these mission days. Traditional values were transformed swiftly to adopt clothing, and Christianity replaced traditional creation stories. Hunter gathering was discouraged and with the arrival of people from other cultural groups, Gungganji cultural protocols were dismissed. Source: www.yarrabah.qld.gov.au/our-history-and-future/