August 10, 2023
There’s a well-known photograph at Cherbourg’s The Ration Shed which shows the late Nancy Chambers dishing out soup to a bunch of children.
The photo, believed to have been taken in the 1940s, shows the daily reality of receiving rations at the then mission.
On Wednesday, the famous photo was re-enacted as part of an Elders’ afternoon tea, “Soup On The Deck”, at The Ration Shed to mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
It was an occasion for the community’s older residents to get together, enjoy home-made soup, damper and scones, and swap memories.
“For Our Elders” was the theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week, and was the ongoing theme on Wednesday.
Before lunch, videos from previous Golden Oldies events at Cherbourg were screened in The Ration Shed, which stirred a lot of memories.
The “soup ceremony” featured Nancy Chambers’ granddaughter, author and historian Lesley Williams, handing out soup to the oldest resident present, Betty Purcell, who will be turning 86 next month.
Aunty Lesley travelled up from Brisbane for the event, and was surprised when her sister Jeanette Brown presented her with an apron bearing the soup photo.
Aunty Lesley shared some memories at the lunch about the history of The Ration Shed and Cherbourg’s involvement with other Indigenous peoples from around the world.
In the early 1960s, Cherbourg hosted a visit of Native Canadians, headed by Chief Walking Buffalo of the Stoney Nakoda Nation, and Chief David Crowchild of the Tsuutʼina Nation, as part of a worldwide peace tour organised by the Moral Re-Armament movement.
Cherbourg’s marching girls, who had been taking part in competitions in Queensland and interstate, put on a display for the visitors, and the older men held a corroboree.
This year’s Golden Oldies event will be held in the Cherbourg Welfare Hall from 11:00am to 5:00pm on September 30, featuring entertainment by Chad Morgan and Roger Knox, films and lunch.
