Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Recently, Sharon and I grabbed the grandkids and went for a drive out to Cherbourg to participate in the NAIDOC Week celebrations. In 1904, the Barambah Aboriginal settlement was established as a government reserve for Aboriginal people from across Queensland and New South Wales who were forcibly removed from their communities. It was then renamed Cherbourg in 1931. Housed in dormitories and camps, with rationed food, strict rules and harsh punishments that applied, Aboriginal people were incarcerated and alienated from their families, languages and cultures. Self-governance was achieved in 1986, and the community is now the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council. I acknowledge Mayor Bruce Simpson, his councillors and elders, whom I have worked with since becoming the federal member in 2016.

The 2025 NAIDOC theme, 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy', was brought to life by the Cherbourg council's Community Services Department and Youth Advisory Group, who planned and hosted a wonderful community event. The celebrations at Cherbourg included a flag-raising ceremony, a cultural display from the Wakka Wakka Dancers and announcements of the 2025 NAIDOC community awards. I congratulate community award winners Cathryn Sullivan, Richard Gadd, Julian Saltner Jr, Karen Jacobs, Dorothy Bird, Koby Douglas, Sam Murray, Elizabeth O'Chin and the Cherbourg Wellbeing group, who were all recognised for their outstanding contributions to the Cherbourg community.

I also had the opportunity to attend a book launch at Cherbourg's Ration Shed Museum, which is the building where, historically, food rations of flour, sugar and tea were distributed to the community. It was a meeting with my friend, Cherbourg elder Eric Law AM, at the Ration Shed Museum that inspired former police officer Tess Merlin to write her historical novel, Red Dirt Blue Lights, which tells the story of a young policewoman working in and around Cherbourg in the 1970s. Eric assisted and advised Tess with cultural input. Red DirtBlue Lights explores the historical relationship between law enforcement and the Cherbourg community, casting a light on the mistreatment and segregation that Aboriginal people endured. The Ration Shed Museum forms part of a cultural precinct that tells the story of Cherbourg's history and celebrates its contemporary achievements. A portion of the sales of the book goes to the Ration Shed Museum. (Time expired)

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