PALM ISLAND CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS Come together as one

CENTENARY EVENTS

PALM Island residents are hoping to share their culture, hopes and ideas with the wider community and end the “us and them” divide as they commemorate their centenary year.

Three major public events celebrating the past, present and future will examine the community’s struggles and triumphs since the first indigenous people were forcibly sent to the island in 1918.

The extensive centenary program started with an official launch attended by community and political leaders on Wednesday.

Mayor Alf Lacey said the centenary was a chance for locals to recognise the “blood, sweat and tears” of the elders who built the community.

“We don’t want to dwell on the past, but we have to understand that the past is also an important piece of our history,” he said.

“Importantly this is also about opening our arms up to non- Palm Islanders to come and be a part of these events so they can understand us more.”

Cr Lacey said he hoped the events would reduce the “us and them” divide between the locals and mainland community, and highlight the opportunities on the island.

“Palm was formed as a government mission. It’s no longer a government settlement, it’s a little town in its own right,” ght, he said.

“The events that are coming ( will allow) the community to really enjoy who we are, and tell our story however we want to, through dance, song, storytelling or yarning,” he said.

Cr Lacey said the final event, called the Deadly Futures Forum, would give young residents a chance to “make their own footprint” in history.

“( Palm Island) has its challenges but at the same time it has opportunities. And I see those opportunities already and they’re really important for our young people to grasp,” he said.

Palm Island elder Magdalena Blackley ( nee Geia) said the centenary commemorations were an important acknowledgment of “resilience and strength” of the Bwgcolman people.

“We were people of many tribal groups, they came on a barge in 1918, they were sent here not because they chose to come,” she said.

“( The Government) called the island protected, and said they had to keep the people together so they could educate them and other nonsensical things.”

Ms Blackley said the group chose the name “Bwgcolman” because it meant people of “many tribes as one”.

“They huddled together for some time on the barge and decided they were people now dispossessed. They decided to be strong and the name came from their discussion ... I thought that was wonderful, it shows the strength and resilience of our people,” she said.