Launch of K'gari Unit Welcoming Space- Don’t Keep History A Mystery

K'gari Aboriginal Welcoming Space Hervey Bay Library

Don’t Keep History A Mystery is the invitation of Reconciliation Australia during Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June.Reconciliation Australia invites all Australians to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, to share that knowledge and help us grow as a nation. 
Fraser Coast Libraries launched the K'gari Aboriginal Welcoming Space at Hervey Bay Library on the 29th May, 2018 in conjunction with National Reconciliation Week with this goal.The Welcoming Space complements our existing Moonaboola Unit at the Maryborough Library. 
One of the purposes of these spaces is to showcase unique resources pertaining to Indigenous history and culture.The collection includes:

• Butchulla language dictionaries
  
• Children's language books 
  
• The Koori Mail

  

  The Koori Mail is an Australian newspaper written and owned by Indigenous Australians. The Koori Mail was founded in 1991, by Owen Carriage. 

• Cultural Cemetery records

  

  Indigenous resources available on an iPad in the Welcoming Space.

• Books of historical or literary significance

The Butchulla People are the traditional owners of the Fraser Coast. Our goal was to have one place where people can come to become acquainted with that history as well as Aboriginal history across Australia.

Map of Indigenous Australia.

A sculpture created by artist Chris Calcutt  at the entrance to Hervey Bay Library compliments the Aboriginal Welcoming Space and has been created in partnership with the Butchulla Community.

#Butchulla #frasercoast #herveybay #history #mystery

My Culture; My Story - Hail Scots in the Fraser Coast

Photograph of the Mary Ann. The first locomotive engine built in Queensland, 1873.Source QSA Blogs 
It was built by John Walker and Co. The first test run was 30 June 1873. The engine hauled trucks of logs on a timber railway from Tin Can Bay to Cooloola Careek. (Information supplied with photograph and taken from: Queensland heritage, v. 2, no. 3, Nov. 1970.)

The Queensland State Archive Blog written by Judith Nissen tells us of the story of  William Pettigrew.
Pettigrew was a Scotsman. He was trained as a surveyor and appointed on a failed settlement scheme.He developed many strings to his bow during his time in Queensland. The one that brought him to the Wide Bay was timber cutting.
Nissen (2016) tells us 
Timber cutting required licensing and, over the decades, Pettigrew & Co held numerous timber licenses. One major area of activity was Wide Bay. The Maryborough Bench of Magistrates recorded timber licences from 1866 onwards for the cutting of cedar and pine at £2 per licence, as well as hardwood (£1 per licence).(Qld State Library Blog 21 March, 2016 By Queensland State Archives).

Pettigrew had the first steam sawmill, built in 1853 on the banks of the Brisbane River. The Mary Ann,made in Maryborough by Walkers Ltd, was the first Queensland-built steam locomotive. The archives have a letter sent  on 5 August 1873, to Governor Normanby. The letter described the Mary Ann's purpose and detailed progress in building the rail track for transporting timber from Thannae to Tin Can Bay.

The Mary Ann carting timber for Pettigrew and Sons at Cooloola, 1873.

This photograph is part of the Maryborough Wide Bay & Burnett Historical Society Inc Collection and can be found in Fraser Coast Libraries Image Collection

The Mary Ann carting timber for Pettigrew and Sons at Cooloola, 1873.

Copies of the book Welcome Back Mary Ann  by Nancy Bates, a tribute to the locomotive can be found in the Fraser Coast Libraries Collection. They are also available for sale at $20 a copy from the Bonds Store Museum and the Walker Street News. The locomotive is owned by Council but is maintained and run by a special group of dedicated volunteers who are members of the Maryborough City Whistle Stop Inc. 

Do you have Scottish ancestry? Tell us your story.

Did you know Queensland State Archives (QSA) has many treasures and resources for both government and public clients. They host regular events and have displays of some of their collections. Visit their  Flickr page or the QSA blog for a glimpse into their collections.

References:
Nissen, J, (2016) retrieved on 21st May,2018 from 
https://blogs.archives.qld.gov.au/2016/03/21/hail-strangers-hail-scots-in-queensland/

Tags #statearchives #MaryAnn #steam #locomotive #Maryborough

My Culture, My Story

This year the Australian Heritage Festival is focusing on the theme My Culture;My Story. In 1859 Maryborough was declared a port of entry for settlers coming to Australia and it became a major entry point for many travelling from overseas looking for a new life. People with diverse heritages including German, Danish, Dutch, Scottish, Irish, Chinese and South Sea Islander came through the port and settled on the Fraser Coast and throughout Queensland.

Mr and Mrs Christiansen came from Denmark to the Bay, Early 1880 (Image part of the Christiansen Collection)

National Archives has put together some interesting documents relating to the early establishment of Multicultural Queensland. The Fraser Coast Libraries also has some amazing images and books detailing this period in history.These include:

• They came and stayed : a history of Hervey Bay / by Joan Christiansen.
• A History Of Germany And Guide To Tracing immigrants Who Came To Australia From Germany / Mcclelland, James
• The cruise of the Helena : a labour-recruiting voyage to the Solomon Islands / edited by Peter Corris.
• Among Australia's pioneers : Chinese indentured pastoral workers on the Northern Frontier 1848 to C.1880 / Margaret Slocomb.
• Haggis, Halloween And Hogmanay : A Tribute To our Scottish Pioneers / Kay F. Gassan.
• Irish Surnames And Their Possible Locations For family History Research / Mcclelland, James
• With his gold in a little velvet bag : the story of a Chinaman and a bonnie lassie from Edinburgh / Olsen, Joanne;Shang, Keith 
• From the edge of oblivion : history of the Stehbens family in its social context 1600-1900 / Ian Robert Stehbens
• As well as a variety of Immigrant Indexes.

Where did your ancestors come from?

Can you tell us your story?

If you are not sure how your ancestors arrived in Maryborough you can contact the Maryborough Family Institute and they will do their best to trace your family on their passenger lists:
Maryborough Family Heritage Institute Contact Details
Email: heritageresearch@bigpond.com or
Phone: 07 41231620
Address: 164 Richmond Street, Maryborough.
Opening Hours:Monday – Thurs. 9-3 and Friday 9-1.

The Hervey Bay Family History Association Inc can also help you find out more about your heritage:
The Hervey Bay Family History Association Inc. Hervey Bay Library (07) 41974220.


The Butchulla People are the Traditional Custodians/Owners of the Land, and their continued connection to the land on which we walk, work and live is acknowledged. Fraser Coast Libraries acknowledges and pays respects to the Elders past, present and emerging.

Tags: #culture #story #maryborough #port #herveybay #familyhistory