July 3, 2012
The Ration Shed Museum at Cherbourg officially opened its latest attraction, an illustrated Timeline history of the former mission, at a special ceremony this morning.
Guests assembled in the corroboree area of the Ration Shed precinct to listen as Cherbourg elders explained the history of Cherbourg and the educational aims of the Timeline project.
Local historian Lesley Williams said information and photographs for the Timeline had been sourced from all over Australia. Records had been located in museums and libraries in Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide.
The display is designed to protect Cherbourg’s heritage while at the same time educating young people and the wider community about what life was like “in the old days”.
“As children we had a wonderful childhood because we didn’t know anything else,” Lesley said.
“We were nurtured by our elders and we respected them. We were oblivious of the outside world … and the non-indigenous people were oblivious of what was going on in Cherbourg.”
Elder Ada Simpson said like everyone else who remembered the old days, she cried when she heard the Apology by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008.
“In the early 1900s, the government made legislation that all Aborigines be collected and put into various places like Cherbourg,” she said.
“They were brought from far and near to be ostracised from the rest of the community.
“They made something out of nothing – working for nothing – building up Cherbourg.”
Ration Shed committee member Robyn Hofmeyr said the Timeline would be complemented with educational resources, including a detailed website and workbooks designed to link into the school curriculum.
The Timeline and the educational resources would hopefully attract more visitors to The Ration Shed.
Work is now underway on transforming the old CWA Shed, which will be known as Yidding Arts.
Ration Shed chairperson Sandra Morgan thanked the various organisations and individuals who had assisted with the Timeline project, including the Aboriginal Community Interest Consultative Committee, the Australian Government Indigenous Co-ordination Centre, the volunteers, artists, Ration Shed Committee and researchers at the various archives, libraries and universities.
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