Slave link to hospital site

Walls could conceal bodies of islander workers

DESCENDANTS of South Sea islander slaves blackbirded to work on farms say historic rock walls found on the site of the new Tweed Valley Hospital must be preserved.

It’s believed the five walls at Cudgen could conceal bodies of workers who died after they were forced into backbreaking labour.

Members of the Tweed and Gold Coast South Sea Islander community have learnt the NSW Government plans to tear down and move two of the walls to build a car park and the main hospital building.

But the future of the rocks remains unclear after meetings and site tours involving Health Infrastructure NSW and the community.

There’s been suggestions part of the structures could be included in a water feature.

Tweed South Sea Islander and National Australian South Sea Islanders roundtable representative Emelda Davis said the remnants of “sugar slavery” are thought to date back to the early 1860s. She said some “15,000 young men died within the first six months of arriving in this country because they couldn’t withstand common diseases”.

Ms Davis said the remains of some of those men may lie under the walls.

“If they were working in the fields they were buried where they lay,” she said.

Ms Davis said the walls stretching about 750m should be left alone and construction halted for now.

“This is appalling. Construction needs to cease until there’s a common understanding and respect for South Sea islander people of this region,” she said.

“The walls should stay as is. I know there’s talk about bones being moved and the rest of it, but there’s a culturally significant ceremony which would be required.

“We have been (in Australia) 172 years and this year is our 25th anniversary since Commonwealth recognition. What the hell is going on with the government?”

Ms Davis said there had not been enough consultation with the community.

Health Infrastructure NSW believes the “dry-stone walls”, which are not heritage listed, were likely built circa 1900 when the site was “part of a large sugar plantation”.

The government body said it was “committed to ensuring current and future generations can enjoy the local history of the dry-stone walls”.

“Over 80 per cent of the length of the walls can be retained in their current location,” a spokeswoman said.

But she conceded the two walls in the “footprint of the planned hospital infrastructure” will “need to be catalogued and relocated by the end of August”.

A workshop will be held next week, which the spokesman said was a chance for South Sea islanders to become involved in the “preservation and potential restoration” of the remaining walls. The spokeswoman said consultation would be ongoing.