October 9, 2024
The Ration Shed Museum celebrated its 20th birthday on Friday … that’s two decades of sharing Cherbourg’s history and stories with visitors, tourists and, importantly, younger residents in the community.
Visitors gathered inside the old building – from where flour, sugar and other foodstuffs used to be doled out to mission residents – to watch a video about the history of Cherbourg and the building.
The idea of creating a special place to preserve the history of mission times in Cherbourg came about while local Elder Aunty Sandra Morgan and her sister, Aunty Lesley Williams, were gathering together historic items ahead of Cherbourg’s town centenary in 2004.
They realised the old Ration Shed, down near the football oval, was still intact.
The pair worked to get the building moved to a new location, near the centre of town, and then a lot of hard work went into its restoration.
The Ration Shed was officially re-opened as a museum during the centenary year.
The restoration of the former Superintendent’s Office, Boys Dormitory and Domestic Science building followed over the years to create the Historical, Cultural and Community Precinct which exists today.
Aunty Sandra said The Ration Shed had provided a site where the community could share stories of living “under the Act”.
(The Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act was passed in 1897 in Queensland. It restricted the rights of Indigenous people, and although updated several times in later decades, basically remained in place in amended form until the 1980s.)
Aunty Sandra said that before The Ration Shed, Cherbourg residents had been “spectators” in the telling of their history.
“Now we are in the limelight … it feels good,” she said.
“We could at last honour our heroes and pay tribute to our Elders who had suffered so much.
“Hopefully this place which was to give us food, now gives us food for thought.”
These days The Ration Shed hosts regular tours for school groups, tourists and community organisations as well as holding special displays.
A feature planned for next year will focus on the history of the old Girls Dormitory in the town.
Friday’s birthday celebration was well-attended with many former Cherbourg residents returning for the day (and for Golden Oldies on Saturday).
They were joined by councillors from the Cherbourg, South Burnett and Fraser Coast councils.
The celebration included a barbecue lunch on The Ration Shed deck and the ceremonial cutting of a cake.
A new booklet about the history of The Ration Shed, prepared by Mark Newman for the celebration, was also launched.
Also unveiled was a work by local artist Maurice Mickelo, commissioned by The Ration Shed, which details the history of Cherbourg from traditional times through to mission days and now.
Aunty Sandra said the work would be hung in the Elders area in the complex.
