Queensland's Young Researchers

During the 2025 September school holidays, State Library of Queensland opened its doors to 10 students and 2 chaperones from regional Queensland for its third annual Young Researchers Experience. 

The Young Researchers Experience (the Experience) is part of the State Library’s Young Researcher Program (the Program). The program provides regional schools with opportunities to enhance student research and information literacy skills through Live at the Library Research Strategy (Live at the Library) sessions.  Schools participating the Program are offered the opportunity to apply to participate in the Experience which is a week-long, expenses paid research and cultural enrichment practicum held at State Library.

The program is, delivered in memory of Gloria Hamilton through the generosity of Mrs Caroline and Mr Keith Hamilton as a tribute to Keith’s mother Gloria Hamilton. Gloria grew up in Cloncurry, then boarded at St Anne’s College in Townsville. Following her graduation in Year 10, she went on to work for North Queensland Cement Ltd., establishing a 40-year career at the company. Gloria attributed her achievements to the valuable experiences she gained from attending school in Townsville and being exposed to a broader range of opportunities during her formative years.

As a tribute to Gloria,  the Experience offers young Queenslanders from regional areas the opportunity to travel to Brisbane to explore State Library collections, visit cultural institutions and attend Brisbane Festival events. This year we welcomed students to the Experience from Proserpine State High, Murgon State High, Urangan State High & Cairns School of Distance Education.

Students’ research activities  explored a variety of areas, all with Queensland connections,  including:

• the Royal Flying Doctor Service,
• Blackbirding,
• Military history,
• Indigenous rights and the Mabo decision,
• History of youth mental health, and
• Family and community histories. 

Students were supported by State Library’s research librarians who assisted the students to delve into our online resources and extensive physical collection to research their chosen topics The led to several students making incredible discoveries. Students saw Joseph Bank’s rare botanical drawings from the first fleet, the QANTAS Logbook from our national airlines founding flights and many more incredible items that helped to tell the story of their research. In addition, through their research two students also discovered they were related!

Their time wasn’t all spent raiding the rare and restricted collections of State Library; Participants were in Brisbane during BrisFest  and attended Afterglow, a light and fire installation at the Botanical Gardens, The Nieergoo: Spirit of the Whale drone show over the Brisbane river, and Elements of Freestyle, an urban sports, dance and music theatre show, after which some of the group bumped into the cast and crew while waiting for their taxi rides back to the hotel. The students also enjoyed visiting QUT Gardens Point, Anzac Square Memorial Galleries, Queensland Museum, GoMA and Queensland Art Gallery. 

Tiarne - Proserpine State High School 
The Young Researchers Program was an incredible opportunity to deepen my understanding of health challenges faced in regional areas, while also developing my research skills. My chosen topic of research was the impact of the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) on regional healthcare in Queensland and the gaps in healthcare that still exist, along with finding potential solutions. I have been involved in health advocacy for my local community and currently co-lead our school’s UCAT study group that supports students preparing for medical entrance exams. Through the program I was able to find and handle collections such as the original RFDS flag and the QANTAS log book from the original partnership period of Flynn and Hudson Fysh in 1921-1932, an item that is currently being considered for the UNESCO world heritage list.
 

Kimberlee – Cloncurry State School
I grew up in Cloncurry as the youngest of 4 and I have had limited opportunities for travel. A trip to Brisbane as part of the Young Researcher's Program was an invaluable experience for me. My family has deep-rooted history in Cloncurry, having been here for over 100 years. Through my research, I gained a deeper understanding of my heritage and how my family contributed to Cloncurry. It was exciting to have the opportunity to take advantage of the state library archives to help me uncover the challenges and triumphs of past generations.
 

Chloe - Cloncurry State School 
I live on a property just outside Cloncurry with a variety of animals such as horses and cattle. Being selected for this program meant I could explore new places and connect with people who live differently from how we do out here. It was an amazing learning experience, and something truly special for someone from a rural background like me. I was interested in my family history as we’ve been here for a really long time. Working with Kimberlee, we uncovered memories from the copy print collection, photographs of our community and family who have been residents since the early 1900s. We also uncovered the ledger that shows our Great Great-Grandfathers arriving to Australia from the United Kingdom on the same ship over 130 years ago. 
 

Phoenix - Cairns School of Distance Education
The Young Researchers Experience was an amazing opportunity for me to grow, learn, and explore my passion for understanding the past and how it shapes the future. I researched the changing lens of mental health in Queensland, with a focus on the way that young Queenslanders with mental health issues were treated and subjected they were subject to shunning by society. My research contained Artist books and records from the benevolent home in Brisbane that showed the positive change from historical methods of dealing with mental health to today, and the growing support for those suffering from mental health disorders. 
 

Helena - Cairns School of Distance Education 
I’m passionate about justice, history, and learning how systems can evolve to better support people and communities. This Experience was a rare chance to deepen my skills, ask difficult questions about justice and reconciliation, and connect with others who are equally passionate about research and truth-telling. I investigated the rights and freedoms of First Nations people here in Queensland and discovered the Mabo family collection which lives within State Library’s repository. A significant find for my research was the Mabo family copy of ‘Myths and Legends of the Torres Strait’ and the ‘Preponderance of Aboriginal Blood’ artist book by Judy Watson. I had a great time handling artefacts and finding great resources. 
 

Darren - Murgon State High School 
Coming on this trip to Brisbane means that I got to see a part of the state I don't often see. I live in a sparsely populated area, vastly different from Brisbane and the experience was eye-opening and gave me the chance to develop life-long relationships with the other students. I was interested in the history of my community and the way it has changed over the years. Through my research, I extensively used Trove to access the Queensland newspapers stored at State Library as microfiche and even helped to update descriptions in the copy print collection. 
 

Sina - Cairns School of Distance Education 
I was interested in the history of shipwrecks in Queensland, specifically the SS Yongala shipwreck. My research led to learning the history of the ship and its fateful voyage in 1911. I also learned the story of some of those who were on board when she was sunk by a Cyclone, with the loss of all 122 passengers and crew. Through the program and my research desire to pursue a research-based career has only been strengthened.

Lily - Urangan State High School 
My research was about the history of Blackbirding in Queensland, the practice that saw South Sea Islander people taken from their homes and brought to Queensland in the late 1800s to work as sugar slaves. The research was closely supported by manuscripts, photos and diaries from the State Library collections and led me to discoveries linked to the area I come from, Wide Bay. 
 

Blade - Cloncurry State School 
I was interested to learn the history of Queensland pastoral stations after recently relocating from Canada to Outback Queensland. I used station records to find a diary kept by one of the station hands from my local area detailing the daily work and happenings on the station and in the community. Using this original material, and my knowledge of the work carried out on stations today, I found several interesting observations that compared and contrasted the way life has changed on Queensland stations over the last 100 years. 
 

Millie -Proserpine State High School
I undertook research on two Australian veterans, both of whom were connected to my community in the Whitsundays, WOC2 Keith Payne and Sgt. Archie Boyd. Keith Payne was a Warrant Officer Class 2, and he was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry in the presence of the enemy after saving 40 men under fire in Kontum province, in Vietnam in 1969. Sergeant Archie Boyd was a pilot in the second world war and was reported missing during a flight from Bankstown to New Guinea, his plane was never found but crashed somewhere in the Whitsundays. 

We are so proud of these students for the courage, curiosity, and dedication that they demonstrated throughout the week. 

Thank you to Mrs Caroline and Mr Keith Hamilton, student participants, teacher chaperones, schools and families for supporting this program. 

We look forward to delivering the Young Researchers Program again in 2026!