Cherbourg: The Legacy of the Late Winifred Fisher
By Indigenous Services | 14 April 2022
In 2005, the Honourable, Matt Foley, former Minister for Employment, Training and Youth and Minister for the Arts officially opened the IKC at the Cherbourg State School. The IKC was co-located in the School’s library. The library was staffed by Maynard Heap, the School’s Teacher/Librarian.
In 2016, the IKC was relocated to its current location and reopened during NAIDOC Week. The opening was attended by family members of Winifred Fisher who paid tribute to her and spoke of her legacy. To read more about this tribute, please visit: https://southburnett.com.au/news2/2016/07/06/centre-salutes-a-passion-for-education/
About Cherbourg
Cherbourg, formerly known as Barambah, is located on the traditional lands of the Wakka Wakka people in the South Burnett district. Cherbourg began as Barambah Settlement in 1901 by the Salvation Army Missionary William J Thompson on the banks of Barambah Creek. The Queensland Government took control of the settlement in March 2004.
Cherbourg
Winifred Fisher
The IKC was named after the late Winifred Fisher, a local Wakka Wakka woman who was a teacher at Cherbourg State School. Winifred had a passion for education and teaching Cherbourg children. She used to run a library in the back of the old Welfare Hall.
The IKC is owned and operated by Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council (CASC). Council employs two staff member, Martina Jacobs, IKC Manager, who oversees the operations, develops programs and services with the assistance of Sophia Jacobs, IKC Coordinator.
Left: Sophia Jacobs, IKC Coordinator and Martina Jacobs, IKC Manager
The staff are credited with the successful delivery of the Deadly Digital Communities Program and a playgroup that operates from the IKC for 0-5 year olds.
The IKC is also used as a safe community hub for many visiting government and non-government services to deliver training and support to local community members.
Exploring the collection
If you’d like to explore some of State Library’s collection items relating to Cherbourg, we have a few suggestions in the links below:
- Jo-Anne Driessens photographs 1997 – 2000. This collection of digital images, prints and album entitled Cherbourg Today 1998, documents everyday life, people, places and events around Queensland in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- Children's Picture Diaries, Cherbourg workshop, 2007 Reina Irmer 1946- ; Brisbane John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland ; 2007. The Children's Picture Diaries project was designed to gather children's pictures and stories about who they are, where they live and what they like to do. Children (aged 5-12 years)...7116 Dr Barbara Piscitelli AM Children's Art Archive
- The Cherbourg Memory is an initiative of the Ration Shed Museum and brings together the photos, videos, oral history recordings, documents and other artefacts of life on this settlement. It is a website, an archive, an educational resource, a recording project, a research data-base, a store of the peoples stories and an interactive space for comments and engagement
Celebrating 20 years of IKCs
In 2002, the first Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs) were developed in partnership with then Aboriginal Community and Island Councils across Queensland. Seven IKCs were opened in 2002 with many more to follow over the years.
This year thirteen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Shire and Regional Councils will celebrate the role their IKC/s play in their communities, as libraries, meeting places, hubs and keeping places.
Comments
Your email address will not be published.
We welcome relevant, respectful comments.