September 5, 2022
Kumbia residents celebrated history, agriculture, community – and Father’s Day – at the inaugural Kumbia Country Festival on Sunday.
The festival took over the grounds beside Kumbia Hall (officially, the Memorial School of Arts), the museum (the Kumbia Federation Heritage Centre) and a large slice of the sportsground area in Gordon Street.
There were milking demonstrations, carriage rides, whip-cracking, chainsawing, competitions, market stalls, live music and visits by Missy Peacharoo (promoting stonefruit) and Alvin the Avocado (keen to raise awareness about next weekend’s Avocado Festival in Blackbutt).
Local resident David Crawford was called upon to officially open the Festival and unveil a plaque to mark the Centenary of the Kumbia Hall.
The plaque will be mounted inside the hall.
“Pioneer plaques” listing local families will also be placed around town after Council’s streetscaping project is completed, and an updated edition of a history book about Kumbia will be available later this year.
David was joined on stage by another local resident with deep family connections to the area.
Gary Truss cut the Centenary cake and reminisced about the many events which have been held at the hall over the past century.
“This hall has been the centre of this community for so many years,” Gary said.
However, he said it was important to remember it was a “memorial” hall dedicated to the families who lost sons in the Great War.
Among the names on the monument, Gary said, was that of his great-uncle Jacob Truss who arrived in the area in 1907 when Taabinga Station was being broken up for closer settlement.
Jacob enlisted on January 8, 1917, at Maryborough, and served with the 26th Battalion on the Somme.
He was killed in action on May 31, 1918, just months before the Armistice.
“I often wonder what the family histories would be like if so many of these names on the Honour Board had come home,” Gary said.
Where is the acknowledgement and respect for the Traditional Owners, the Bujiebara tribe in the town? in the Parish, in the District, anywhere?