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Today’s Australian South Sea Islanders have a special place in Queensland’s cultural diversity and history. They are the descendants of South Sea Islanders brought to Queensland from 1863 to 1904 from 80 Melanesian islands to work the State’s cotton and sugar plantations. The 62,000 men, women and children were considered a cheap source of labour, with many being kidnapped, tricked or blackbirded. By 1908, many had been deported under the “White Australia” policy and those who remained suffered harsh treatment and discrimination. Today, Australian South Sea Islanders have a unique identity in Queensland, which is embedded in a rich heritage and vibrant culture. Source: www.slq.qld.gov.au/discover/exhibitions/australian-south-...

It is estimated that between 1863 and 1904 up to 62,500 Pacific Islanders, mainly men and boys, were brought to Qld or northern New South Wales. Initially around 10,500 were recruited illegally, many kidnapped. Later many Islanders volunteered, understanding indentured conditions better and having the protection of legislation. They came from 80 western Pacific islands, the majority from the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and the Solomons. Many Pacific Islanders working in the cane fields suffered severe exploitation as their living and working conditions in Qld varied according to the consideration of 'masters' and overseers. Their masters had unlimited control over them: wages were meagre, occupations were limited and menial, allotted duties could not be refused and were arduous, and service was fixed under one master. As bonded workers they had few rights. Death rates were high. The cane field where these women are shown working was probably under the direct or indirect control of one of the large wealthy corporations that dominated the northern sugar industry. A boom in cane cultivation in coastal northern Qld from the mid-1880s attracted southern capital and advanced technology, and the Victorian Colonial Sugar Refining Company established three large mills in northern Qld, the largest being the Victoria on the Herbert River. Source: fusecontent.education.vic.gov.au/cbf1f43f-62b2-4e36-9780-...

A cloud of dust on the long white road ; And the teams go creeping on, Inch by inch with the weary load ; And by the power of the green-hide goad The distant goal is won. With eyes half-shut from the blinding dust, And necks to the yokes bent low, The beasts are pulling as bullocks must, Till the shining rims of the tire-rings rust ; While the spokes are turning slow. The Teams is a poem by Australian writer and poet Henry Lawson. It was first published in the Australian Town and Country Journal on 21 December 1889.[1] It was later published in the poet's poetry collection In the Days When the World Was Wide and Other Verses in 1896. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Teams

THE search is on for century-old Sandgate rugby league memorabilia in the lead-up to the Remember the Gaters Greats (RGG) Day on July 7. The Gaters are planning to celebrate 100 years of Sandgate football after a photo from 1918 was discovered in Sandgate Museum. Club president Leny Hoeksema said they were looking for old photos, trophies, and stories to celebrate the 100th anniversary and he challenges anyone to find something about rugby league in the area from before 1918. “It (the club) could be older but we are going to go on 1918 unless we find out anything different,” he said. Source: www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/north/club-on-the-hunt-f...