This is Our Story - Join in the planning to commemorate 150 years of Australian South Sea Islander history in Beaudesert

Guest blogger: Bronwyn Davies – Coordinator Cultural Services, Scenic Rim Regional Council

We are getting  closer to the Beaudesert Australian South Sea Islander 150 Commemoration event This is Our Story ( 24th August)  and the launch of the Echoes-ASSI 150 exhibition,( 23rd August). Organisers are holding a Community Café in Beaudesert Saturday 27th July from 1pm to 4pm @ St Thomas Anglican Church Hall Albert St Beaudesert following on from meetings with the Mununjali Council of Elders and  community info sharing events.
The community café is another opportunity leading up to the commemoration and the exhibition launch to share stories of the Beaudesert district and the arrival of the first South Sea Island indentured labourers at the Townsvale cotton plantation in August 1863.

Between 1863 and 1901 more than 60,000 South Sea Islanders worked in Queensland and contributed to its early development and economic growth. The Beaudesert district was the first place where South Sea Islanders were used on a systematic scale of indenture and their contribution forms a unique piece of its history.  Community Cafes  are an opportunity  to  participate in a public conversation, share your own stories, memories and connections to place.
Everyone is welcome.

This is Our Story is a collaborative project of The Beaudesert Historical Society, Scenic Rim Regional Council, Mununjali Elders, Vanuatu Australian South Sea Islander Community, descendants of original landowners and current landowners and the people of Beaudesert and the Scenic Rim