June 28, 2017
Many Cherbourg residents will be travelling to Taroom and Woorabinda this week to mark the 90th anniversary of an infamous moment in Queensland history.
A commemorative walk from Taroom to the former mission town of Woorabinda is re-enacting an incident which occurred in 1927 when up to 50 young, bare-footed Aboriginal Queenslanders aged between 13 and 30 were forced to walk from the Taroom Aboriginal Reserve to their new home at Woorabinda.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Mark Furner joined Elders on Wednesday at Taroom for the first leg of the commemorative walk.
“The trek from Taroom to Woorabinda is an opportunity for us as Queenslanders to reflect on the wrongs of the past and consider the next steps on our State’s reconciliation journey,” Mr Furner said.
“It is a great honour to be invited to share the Trek’s 90th anniversary and join community leaders in contemplating the reconciliation legacy we want to be remembered for by future generations.”
Over the next eight days, the descendants and supporters of hundreds of Aboriginal families will walk 150km from Taroom to honour the Indigenous Queenslanders forcibly relocated.
The start of the commemorative 90th anniversary trek included healing and wreath-laying ceremonies at the site of the former Taroom settlement, now known as Bundulla Station.
Woorabinda Mayor Cheyne Wilkie said more than 100 people would participate in this year’s Trek from Taroom to Woorabinda.
“Our community looks forward to the Aboriginal communities of Cherbourg, Yarrabah, Palm Island and Hope Vale joining us in our celebrations, as well as (the Minister) Mark Furner,” Mayor Wilkie said.
A “welcome back” ceremony will be held at Woorabinda on July 7.
FOOTNOTE: The Yalari Foundation will be holding its annual Commemorative Walk to Cherbourg between September 22-28. This event marks the closure of the Durundur Aboriginal Reserve near Woodford in 1905, which meant many of the residents were forced to walk 148km overland to Cherbourg (then Barambah Aboriginal Reserve).
