A Part of Buderim's History

Where Did they Go? The Story of Buderim’s Indigenous Residents
Part Six

Ray Kerkhove

1930s – Now:  Here we move into the epoch of “living memory.”  The 1930s brought a gradual easing of restrictions around Aboriginal people – usually in the form of ‘exemptions’ (allowing individuals to permanently leave the Reserves, if they lived and worked in the white community and promised to not associated with any Aboriginal people). In 1948, some three exemptions were granted for individuals who had hailed from Buderim. This quest for conformity often led to deliberate suppression of Indigenous language and customs even by Aboriginal/ Islander families, as some Buderim families still recall (Lindsell 1995-6).

Gradually as elsewhere in Australia, the Aboriginal/Kanaka families gained equal rights to voting and better jobs and education than they had been permitted before. They continued to school their children at Buderim. Older members of the current community recall walking to Buderim’s springs – and their work in farming, fishing, water-carrying and washing (LIndsell 1995-6). They also recall the frequent long walks to and from school and work, but they also note that starting in the 1930s – and more so after the 1960s – their once tightly-knit Indigenous community was fairly shattered. It had started to disperse, with various individuals following up new opportunities and living and working elsewhere on the Sunshine Coast (such as Nambour and Bli Bli) or even in Central Queensland (Lindsell 1995-6).

However, there are still scores of Aboriginal people living in Buderim today, as there were also 15 years ago , according to the 1996 Census (McGarvie 1999:2).  Moreover, in recent years, families whose roots lay in Buderim (though they themselves may have grown up elsewhere) produced unforgettable figures, including footballer Arthur Beetson, contemporary artist Bianca Beetson, and dancer/artist Lyndon Davis.  Thus the Buderim Indigenous community is still with us, and has made a proud contribution to all Australia.

*Local populations fluctuated with work and movement, but most records of this time describe small groups of 12 to 20 persons at various locations – a far cry from the 200-600 inhabiting many camps twenty years earlier.

SOURCES

Abbreviations re/ Archive materials (unpublished letters etc.)

COL = Colonial Secretary’s Department

CPA = Child Protection Agency

HOM = Home Secretary

JUS = Justice Department

Other works

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Heap, E.G., November 1966, ‘In the Wake of the Raftsmen – Part.1,’ Queensland Heritage Vol.1:3

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Meston, A., 25 August 1923, ‘Early Incidents,’ Daily Mirror (OM72-82/4 Fryer Collection)

McGarvie, N & J., December 1999, History of the Aborigines in the Buderim Area (Buderim: Buderim Historical Society)

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