I have had a wonderful two (2) days in Cherbourg with a mixture of staff, Board members and Elders.
It was a beautiful trip that saw us visit the Ration Shed. The Ration Shed is the original building whereby those within the Cherbourg Mission received their lousy (lousy in every sense both quantity and quality) of tobacco, flour, sugar, and tea. For many on the trip they saw pictures of family members and or recalled their own family members telling them stories of this time in Cherbourg.
As part of the tour everyone gets an Exemption Card / Permit. The permits described the requirement of a permit to leave the Mission, and they were still being issued as late as 1986. I have attached so everyone can view.
This tour of the Ration Shed and the Boys Dormitory brings home the stark, confronting, and sad history of this country. I know everyone who did attend was left in a very reflective mood but very grateful for the experience. Aunty Ruth Hegarty a Girls Dormitory survivor, author, mother and Elder has her daughter and son volunteering to facilitate the tours. Australia’s SBS program “Who Do You Think You Are” was recently on site for the Wayne Blair episode which I encourage you all to watch vis SBS OnDemand. Equally you can look up the Ration Shed online and review the history.
The Cherbourg Regional Aboriginal and Islander Community Controlled Health Services (CRAICCHS) was another valuable connection. The service hosted us all for morning tea after a tour of the facilities. I made sure Wayne took lots of photos as I very much appreciated their design and would like to use same as we continue to bring on new sites. Our very own Levi Moore is the Clinical Services Manager. We made strong connections and on the next visit I would like to take a GP or two and Kym.
The newly elected Mayor, Mayor Simpson hosted as all, firstly in the chambers and then at the lookout. We were treated to a home cooked meal with fried scones, curried chicken, and rice (it was delicious) and some cheesecake, which no one could eat but we took it home with us – too full, too much food. The Mayor is enthusiastic, dedicated and devoted to his new role, community and full of energy and motivation. It was a real treat, his mum another very special community person Ada Simpson also came up to the lookout to spend time with us all.
It was truly a trip to remember, those that attended and namely the Elders had a wonderful time, they saw friends and family, they got to understand their history a little more deeply.
