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Historic Holy Rosary Church steps into the modern age Megan Dean 7 November 2020 The long and interesting history of Bundaberg’s Catholic community dates back to the early 1870s but that hasn’t stopped the parish from moving into the 21st century. A range of improvements is planned for the Holy Rosary Church including air conditioning, solar, and landscaping. Catholic Parish of Bundaberg Manager Norm Whyte said the upgrades were being made with the church’s proud history in mind. The iconic building holds a commanding presence in the Bundaberg CBD, on the corner of Woongarra and Barolin Streets, but Norm said it hadn’t always been so. “We started with very humble beginnings with just a very small timber building as a church,” Norm said. “That building still stands in our Catholic cemetery. “As far as we know that little chapel was very likely the very first church in Bundaberg. “We think,” Norm clarified. “It’s a bit of a hazy history.” Norm said that small timber church had recently undergone renovations as part of the Catholic Parish’s commitment to preserving its history. Prior to that he said there was already a Catholic presence in the community with the first mass delivered in the Adams hotel, a one-story timber building now better known as the Metropolitan Hotel. The proprietor then was Walter Adams, Bundaberg’s first member to the Queensland Legislative Assembly. “They used to let the priest use a room in the hotel to celebrate mass, that’s how it actually began.” In 1876 the Sisters of Saint Joseph, founded by Saint Mary MacKillop, arrived in Bundaberg ahead of Father Rossolini who moved his residence from Mt Perry to Bundaberg in December of that year. The Sisters of Saint Joseph began St Joseph’s school which remains a part of the community today. Saint Mary MacKillop is known to have visited Bundaberg on two occasions. Father Rossolini was responsible for the building of the Holy Rosary church in Bundaberg. “With his Italian background, he commissioned Fransis Stanley, the architect of colonial Queensland, to design the Holy Rosary Church,” Norm said. “The style of Holy Rosary church is neo classical, inspired by the temples of ancient Rome.… it’s quite unique. “It is locally heritage listed with the Bundaberg Regional Council.” Catholic Parish of Bundaberg parishioner and archivist Cathryn King has carried out extensive work to preserve the region’s Catholic history. Her own personal history in the region, dating back to when her mother’s family arrived in the region in 1872, combined with a graduate diploma in local and applied history make her uniquely qualified for the job. Some of the interesting facts she has uncovered include the fact that Father Rossalini, by request, was buried “10 feet under and 10 feet in”. She said no one alive today was quite certain of the exact location “but they were very careful during the renovations of 1987/88”. While celebrating and preserving this colourful history Norm said plans were underway to modernise the Holy Rosary Church, including installing live streaming cameras to make services more accessible. “I guess you could say we are bringing it into the 21st century,” Norm said. “We’re getting the building air-conditioned, which is a major achievement knowing that we are dealing with such a significant building. “That’s also combined with solar panels. “Anything we’ve done with that building over the years we’ve been very careful to preserve it in any way we can and not detract from its architecture.” Norm was also excited to announce that within the very near future a significant landscaping project would be undertaken within the church grounds. Source: www.bundabergnow.com/2020/11/07/holy-rosary-church-bundab...

Myora Mission was established as a mission station in 1892 in the Colony of Queensland, at Moongalba on Stradbroke Island. It became an Aboriginal reserve and "industrial and reform school" in 1896, was used as a source of cheap labour, and eventually closed in 1943. On the 26 November 1892, Myora Mission was proclaimed a "Reserve for Mission", signed by Queen Victoria. "Assimilation through institutionalisation" began from October 1893, with the staff enforcing European cultural practices and values. The Mission was declared an "industrial and reformatory school" and a Mission Superintendent and Mission Matron were appointed by QAPA, but paid by the Queensland Government.[4] The older boys and girls were trained to be "made useful and profitable to the mission and to society", and punished if they transgressed. The mission later ceased to be a school, the dormitories were closed, and the children classified as orphans and removed to Deebing Creek Mission.[4] Source: www.wikiwand.com/en/Myora_Mission

Horrible history. By researching the photo collections I have discovered so many historical writings involving Indigenous peoples and first settlers. I can not stress enough how deeply I am saddened by the inhumane treatment of the First Nation peoples, especially children.

From 1905 the Barambah Aboriginal Settlement (from 1934 Cherbourg) in the South Burnett, first established in 1901, came under complete government control and operation. It was considered a more successful venture and gave the government confidence to establish more Aboriginal settlements.[1][5][8][9] By segregating Aboriginal people from the rest of the community, the removals process was highly effective in fulfilling the government's objectives of increased control and regulation of the state's Aboriginals, enforced on settlements through a range of administrative and disciplinary measures. While humanitarian concerns were used as a justification for removal by advocates of the reserve system, Aboriginal people were forcibly removed for a wider range of reasons including illness; lack of employability or refusal to work; old age; as punishment; and after a jail sentence had been served.[20] While many groups had already been moved off their traditional land and were residing in fringe camps at settlements and stations, the removals program further severed many Queensland Aboriginals' capacity to maintain connections to country and traditional customary practices. Social and family networks were also profoundly altered, with children taken from their parents, wives from husbands and families split up and sent to different reserves.[1] Source: www.wikiwand.com/en/Taroom_Aboriginal_Settlement