{"id":150826,"date":"2016-07-06T20:11:52","date_gmt":"2016-07-06T10:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=150826"},"modified":"2020-07-25T10:56:11","modified_gmt":"2020-07-25T00:56:11","slug":"centre-salutes-a-passion-for-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/07\/06\/centre-salutes-a-passion-for-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Centre Salutes Passion For Education"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Paying tribute to the late Winifred Fisher were, from left, Laurie Bond, Ada Simpson, Tarita Fisher and Jacquie Malone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

July 6, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cherbourg’s new Winifred Fisher Indigenous Knowledge Centre (IKC) was officially opened on Monday at the start of the town’s NAIDOC Week celebrations.<\/p>\n

The IKC is housed in the renovated Maternal and Child Welfare Clinic building on the corner of Barambah Avenue.<\/p>\n

It is a cross between a library and a resource centre for members of the Cherbourg community – and it joins 20 similar IKCs operating across Queensland.<\/p>\n

The Cherbourg facility replaces a smaller centre which had been based at Cherbourg State School but closed in 2011.<\/p>\n

Cherbourg Council will be responsible for the building’s upkeep and day-to-day operations of the IKC, while the State Library of Queensland will contribute financial support, collections of library materials and professional development.<\/p>\n

Mr Ron Weatherall, the\u00a0Deputy Director-General of the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, officially declared the centre open.<\/p>\n

He said the community should be very proud of the new facility.<\/p>\n

Mr Weatherall said it was “a place of knowledge and learning”, a place “to read, write and communicate; a place for all ages”.<\/p>\n

Cherbourg mayor Arnold Murray said it would also become a “technology hub” for the community, where residents would also be able to do internet banking or look for a job, as well as learn about culture.<\/p>\n

Several community members shared stories about working at Cherbourg State School with “Aunty Winnie”, after whom the new IKC has been named.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cherbourg Elder Aunty Ada Simpson said Winifred had a passion about education and teaching Cherbourg children, and the new centre was a way of keeping her memory alive.<\/p>\n

Cherbourg Health Service Manager Tarita Fisher said her grandmother, who died in 1984, knew the importance of education to pave the way for a better future, and used to run a library in the back of the old Welfare Hall.<\/p>\n