Indigenous Community Volunteers

Exciting things are happening in Cherbourg, northwest of Brisbane - a community ICV is working with.

Like many Indigenous communities Cherbourg (formerly known as Barambah) was an Aboriginal settlement with more than 100 years of history. Cherbourg was a place for Aboriginal people who were either forcibly placed in a dormitory or lived in camps on this heavily government controlled settlement. In 1928 the Ration Shed was established. The Ration Shed was controlled by the government and would open a few days a week for people to collect small portions of staple foods like tea, sugar, rice and flour.

It wasn’t until 1968, when Aboriginal people started to gain more freedom, rations ended and the Ration Shed was closed down.

Two strong women leaders who are respected elders of the community have initiated the restoration of the ration shed and boys dormitory buildings into a museum. It opened in 2004 and has inspired the establishment of the Cherbourg Historical Precinct Group - a community-controlled, not-for-profit venture to tell the community’s stories of living under the Aboriginal Protection Act.

The Ration Shed offers tours and educational programs for schools, institutions and other visitors while also providing a space for the Cherbourg community to remember its history and celebrate achievements. Among the attractions are films, photographic collections, art displays and guided tours of historic buildings.

The museum has other uses as a conference centre and outside the building, there’s a meeting place or yarning circle.
The Ration Shed Museum is going from strength to strength. It has won the Premiers 2011 Reconciliation Award. The Cherbourg film The Ration Shed had its international premiere this year, shown at EDINDOCS, a documentary film festival in Edinburgh. Meanwhile, the Ration Shed is about to launch a new exhibition called .‘Strong women shadow boxes’

ICV is working with the community of Cherbourg to build on the success of the Precinct as a community asset by developing it as Cherbourg envisions. The community wants to improve accessibility to the precinct and upgrade its facilities, develop an arts centre (as there are about 80 artists in Cherbourg) as well as establishing a bush tucker garden that can be used for catering purposes. ICV will initially work with the community to improve the facilities of the precinct so it is accessible to all people who wish to use it. We will have more projects in Cherbourg and will be looking for volunteers who live within driving distance. If you are interested, please contact ICV. For more information about The Ration Shed Museum visit its website.

ICV is actively recruiting for volunteers in Qld local areas. Brisbane based PJ Humphreys explains more on Sunshine Coast ABC radio. Listen here