2024 Queensland Memory Awards recipients

State Library of Queensland's annual Queensland Memory Awards were announced at a special event on 2 November 2023, hosted by ABC Radio presenter Kat Feeney. The Queensland Memory Awards aim to recognise outstanding contributions made to advance our understanding of Queensland's history and heritage through our fellowships, residency programs and awards.

The 2024 John Oxley Library Fellowship was awarded to Dr John Willsteed for his project, Dive For Your Memory - Queensland Music Stories. John, himself a former member of Brisbane band The Go-Betweens, will create new knowledge through the recorded oral histories of Queensland musicians, sharing their stories to a wider audience.

Culinary Crossroads: History of Asian-Australian Eateries and Migration Policies in Queensland by Dr Eun-ji Amy Kim and Dr Aaron Teo was the successful project chosen for the John Oxley Library Honorary Fellowship. This project aims to delve into how changes in Australia's contemporary migration policies, spanning from the 1940s to the present, have influenced Asian restaurant owners.

The Monica Clare Research Fellowship went to Sheridan Teitzel for her project, Sacred Plants and Cultural Frameworks: Capturing First-Nations Value Systems in Western Cape York. This project aims to capture and conceptualize the intricate system of plant medicine within a First Nations context.

Dr Robin Trotter was the successful applicant for the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame Fellowship. Robin's research project, T C Dixon & Sons: Boots: Makers of 'Shoes of Distinction' will chart the story of T C Dixon & Sons, boot and shoemakers to Queenslanders for nearly 100 years and the company's contribution to Queensland's industrial history.

Now in its second year, the Rainbow Research Fellowship supports the research, exploration, and creation of new knowledge about Queensland’s LGBTIQA+ histories and communities using the John Oxley Library and State Library collections and resources. This year's recipient is Dr Heather Anderson for her project, Radio rebels: Highlighting the contributions of women, trans and non-binary people to the history of Queensland community radio.

The Digital collections catalyst is awarded annually to developers and creatives to support innovative and creative uses of our digital collections and collections data. This year's recipient is Evelyn Saunders for her project Min(d)ing The Dead, an online interactive documentary about a renowned “ghost” town that, during Covid, became the largest gold mine in Queensland.

The Christina Boughen OAM Fellowship was awarded to Dr Nicole Murphy for her project, Exploration, Celebration and Continuation: the legacy of Christina Boughen OAM. Nicole's project will investigate and celebrate the life and legacy of pianist, educator, and examiner Christina Boughen OAM, through an examination of her musical activities archived in the Christina Boughen OAM and Robert Boughen OBE papers.

The recipient of this year's John Oxley Library Award is respected Ngugi Elder, Dr Robert Anderson OAM. Uncle Bob has a long and distinguished history of community service for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He spent many years striving to protect the rights of workers through the union movement and is well known for his efforts to maintain and promote the reconciliation process and native title rights as an Aboriginal Elder. In 1998, he was named South East Queensland Indigenous Elder of the Year and South East Queensland Indigenous Person of the Year. Since then he has received many awards including Brisbane Citizen of the Year and the Order of Australia Medal (OAM). In 2001, he became one of the inaugural Queensland Greats.

The Pama Language Centre was awarded the John Oxley Library Community History Award. Since 2015 the Pama Language Centre has been working on the recording, revitalisation, maintenance and revival of local languages, but their efforts go back much further. They work across Cape York with many language groups and dialect speakers to achieve language revival.

The State Library of Queensland Medal was awarded to Grant Collins, who began his career at State Library as an apprentice in 1974, retiring in 2019 as Manager of Collection Preservation, leading the care and appropriate management of State Library's collections ensuring their long-term access. Grant was a highly respected staff member who made significant contributions to library preservation and the Queensland community, including his leadership in various areas such as designing repositories, coordinating collection relocations, disaster response efforts, initiating a disaster response partnership, pioneering digitisation of collections, and developing protective policies, as well as gaining international recognition for expertise in library preservation.

“State Library is the home of rare and significant heritage items that tell the story of Queensland,” said Vicki McDonald AM, State Librarian and Chief Executive Officer.  “These fellowships enable a deeper engagement with our treasures through thoughtful and creative research — uncovering new knowledge and illuminating historical truths. I congratulate all our winners and thank our generous donors for their ongoing support.”

You can read more about the previous Queensland Memory Award recipients on our website and on our blog.

The Queensland Memory Awards are made possible by the support of donors through the Queensland Library Foundation.

Snapshots from the 2024 Queensland Memory Awards ceremony

The 2024 Queensland Memory Awards were announced on 2 November 2023, hosted by ABC Radio presenter Kat Feeney. The event celebrates Queensland history and research, it's the official event for State Library to announce and present their annual research fellowships and awards.

• View the recording of the event on Vimeo.
• View photos from the event on Flickr.