Doomadgee is a town and a
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
in the
Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee
The Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee is a special local government area in North West Queensland, Queensland, Australia. It is managed under a Deed of Grant in Trust under the ''Local Government (Community Government Areas) Act 2004''.
Geography ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Australia.
It is a mostly
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
community, situated about from the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
border, and west of
Burketown
Burketown is an isolated outback town and coastal locality in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Burketown had a population of 238 people.
It is located west of Cairns and west of Normanton on the Albert R ...
.
The settlement began with the establishment of the Doomadgee Mission in 1933, which relocated from
Bayley Point
Gangalidda is a coastal locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee, Queensland, Australia, on the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the , Gangalidda had a population of 0 people. Bayley Point () is a small blunt point on the coast within the locality ...
to
Nicholson River in 1936.
In the , Doomadgee had a population of 1405 people.
History
Indigenous peoples
The
Waanyi
The Waanyi people, also spelt Wanyi, Wanji, or Waanji, are an Aboriginal Australian people from south of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Language
The Waanyi language, although earlier thought to be extinct, wa ...
and
Ganggalidda (Yukulta) people are the recognised
Aboriginal Australian
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
peoples who are the
traditional owners
Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...
for the region surrounding Doomadgee.
[ Historically, Gadawa, Lardil, ]Mingginda
The Mingin, also known as the Mingginda, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland, who lived in the Gulf Country east of Moonlight Creek and the Yukulta / Ganggalidda people in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria.
Language
...
and Garawa groups inhabited or traversed the area.
The Waanyi language
Waanyi, also spelt Wanyi, Wanji or Waanji, is an endangered Australian Aboriginal language spoken by the Waanyi people of the lower gulf area of Northern Queensland, Australia. Although earlier thought to be extinct, as of the 2016 Australian ...
(also known as ''Wanyi'', ''Wanyee'', ''Wanee'', ''Waangyee'', ''Wonyee'', ''Garawa'', and ''Wanji)'' is an Australian Aboriginal language
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
of the Gulf Country. The language region includes the western parts of Lawn Hill Creek
Boodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Shire of Burke, Queensland, Australia. The Riversleigh World Heritage Area is a World Heritage Site within the park.
The park lies on the traditional ...
and Nicholson River, from about the boundary between the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
and Queensland, westwards towards Alexandria station, Doomadgee, and Nicholson River. It includes the local government area of the Shire of Doomadgee. Yukulta
The Yukulta people, also spelt Jokula, Jukula, and other variants, and also known as Ganggalidda or Gangalidda, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Queensland.
They may be the same as the Yanga group.
Country
Norman Tindale ( ...
(also known as Ganggalida) is also spoken in the Gulf Country, including the in Doomadgee and Mornington Shires.
European settlement
From the late 19th century, Europeans started settling in the area, making a huge impact on the lives of the Indigenous peoples. Conflict occurred, as it did elsewhere in the Australian frontier wars. Native Police
Australian native police units, consisting of Aboriginal troopers under the command (usually) of at least one white officer, existed in various forms in all Australian mainland colonies during the nineteenth and, in some cases, into the twentie ...
, known as ''yabayiri'' to the locals, were established at Turn Off Lagoon, which was on the Nicholson River about west of present-day Doomadgee site, in 1889. Before this, Native Police had been at a location on Carl Creek, to the south, since 1878.
The Protector of Aboriginals
The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836.
The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...
was appointed on 30 Apr 1936, under the '''', whereby Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people became wards of the state
In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court".
Overview
The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient j ...
. The Protector controlled the lives of Aboriginal people in Queensland until the '' Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Affairs Act 1965'' came into force on 28 April 1966 and the Department of Aboriginal and Island Affairs was created, and every Clerk of the Court
A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...
within the State became a District Officer.[ ]
Text was copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
licence.
Doomadgee Mission (1933–1983)
Doomadgee Mission, originally known as Dumaji (a name deriving from a coastal sand dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...
known as Dumaji by the Ganggalidda people), was established on Bayley Point
Gangalidda is a coastal locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee, Queensland, Australia, on the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the , Gangalidda had a population of 0 people. Bayley Point () is a small blunt point on the coast within the locality ...
() on the Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria (, ) is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between Australia and New Guinea). The northern boundary is ...
in 1933, including the Doomadgee Mission School.[ There had been a mission home for Aboriginal children established at Burketown by Len and Dorothy Akehurst, members of the ]Open Brethren
The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They originated in Ireland before spread ...
, in 1930, and this was moved to the new site of Dumaji (subsequently known as "Old Doomadgee Mission" a couple of years later, at the request of the Aboriginal people.[ Most of the residents of Old Doomadgee came from Burketown and were Gangalidda and Garawa people. At first the girls lived in a house and the boys in tents, but ]dormitories
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
were built over time.[ The boys and girls lived in separate dormitories. The Akehursts returned to ]Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in 1935.[
After the Protector was appointed (April 1936), the mission was classed as an "]Aboriginal reserve
An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th c ...
(Church-sponsored), managed by a Local Protector".[
In 1936, after the coastal site of the mission had been devastated by a ]cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
, the community and the dormitories were relocated to Nicholson River, known as "New Doomadgee". There were around 50 children and 20 adults at this time, but the population soon grew through the 1930s and 1940s, when the Queensland Government removed many Aboriginal families from surrounding pastoral stations, including Westmoreland, Lawn Hills and Gregory Downs. Official records show more than 80 removals between 1935 and 1957 (and prior to the establishment of Doomadgee Mission, many Aboriginal children in the region were removed to the Mornington Island Mission and other missions and Aboriginal reserve
An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th c ...
s further south).[ A photograph held by ]Queensland State Archives
The Queensland State Archives is the lead agency for public recordkeeping in Queensland, Australia. It is the custodian of the largest and most significant documentary heritage collection about Queensland.
Established in 1959, Queensland State ...
taken around 1940 shows about 80 children at the mission, and official records report about 100 children in 1949.[
The mission settlement included a ]hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
, a school, a cattle run which included horses, and a garden.[ However, government reports dated 1949 and 1950 report that there was no school building and lessons took place in the dormitories.][
Here the inhabitants were subjected to close supervision and strict adherence to a ]Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
way of life, with the girls allowed only to sing hymns as amusement.[ Conditions were difficult, and the mission's practices were criticised in a 1950 government report. All children over six years old lived in dormitories; boys left the dormitory around the age of 14 to take up station work, while girls were trained in domestic duties and often remained in the dormitories until they married. By the late 1950s, many residents left, moving to the Mornington Island mission, where by this time families were allowed to stay together.][ A 1958 Open Brethren report showed that about 115 children aged 6–20 years were in their care.][
During the 1960s, older unmarried girls started returning to their parents.][ The girls' dormitory was renovated in 1964, in 1965 there were still 35 boys and 23 girls living at the mission, and in 1968 there were at least five children still living in a dormitory.][ From 28 April 1966, the Department of Aboriginal and Island Affairs became responsible for the mission.][ In 1969, the Queensland Government was appointed trustee of the reserve on which the mission was located, and after continuing criticism of the conditions at the mission, it took administrative control from the Brethren in August 1983.][ It is not clear exactly when the last children left the dormitories.][ However, the contents list of a book by the Akehurst's son, Vic, shows devotes Part 5 to the 1970s and Part is titled "The Last Four years as a Mission - 1980 to 1983". The ]National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
has a sound recording
Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording te ...
of an interview by Gwenda Davey with Vic Akehurst about his parents, made in 2003 and available online, including a full transcript.
Two dormitory buildings still remain: the girls' dormitory and over the road from it the boys dormitory. One dormitory was destroyed by fire in 2003.
Later 20th century – 21st century
Doomadgee Post Office opened on 2 January 1969.
In 1985 the population of Doomadgee was approximately 800.
As of July 2006, eight of 25 Queensland government departments were represented in Doomadgee:
* Queensland Police Service
* Queensland Corrective Services
* Queensland Ambulance Service
* Department of Education and the Arts
* Department of Employment and Training
* Queensland Health (Hospital, Emergency Department and Community Health Services)
* TAFE Queensland
* Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy
From January 2007, the Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council in the area was given full shire status.
At the 2011 census, Doomadgee had a population of 1,258.
It is a mostly Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
community, with population of 1,405 people in the 2016 Australian census
The 2016 Australian census was the 17th national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was counted as – an incre ...
.
Governance
On 21 May 1987, the Aboriginal reserve
An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th c ...
was transferred from the Queensland Government to the trusteeship of the Doomadgee Aboriginal Council, under a Deed of Grant in Trust
A Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) is the name for a system of community-level land trust established in Queensland to administer former Aboriginal reserves and missions. They came about through the enactment by the Queensland Government of the '' ...
(DOGIT).[
On 1 January 2005, the Doomadgee Aboriginal Council became the Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council.][ Doomadgee is located within the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee,] situated about from the Northern Territory border, and west of Burketown.[ ]
Text was copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
licence.
Education
The Doomadgee Mission School, established in 1933, became Doomadgee Community School in 1970. In 1975 it came under the control of the Queensland Government's Education Department, becoming Doomadgee State School.
Doomadgee State School is a government primary and secondary (Early Childhood-10) school for boys and girls at Goodeedawa Road (). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 325 students with 35 teachers and 10 non-teaching staff (7 full-time equivalent). It includes a (Prep-10) special education program.
Facilities
There is a hospital, known as Yella Gundgimara/ Doomadgee Hospital, which is in the process of having six dialysis chairs installed, but the water quality
Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...
is not yet good enough for their operation. Special plumbing and filtration is necessary to provide water of a specific quality to be used in the process of haemodialysis, which treats people with kidney
The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...
problems. Until the unit is complete, patients have to travel or move to Mount Isa
Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, bas ...
or Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
to receive treatment. In 2022, Four Corners
The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...
led an investigation into the poor health outcomes in the community, including a much higher rate of rheumatic heart disease
Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a streptococcal throat infection. Signs and symptoms include fever, multiple painful jo ...
than the wider Australian community.
See also
* Doomadgee Airport
Doomadgee Airport is an airport in Doomadgee, Queensland, Australia. The airport recently received $200,853 for security upgrades.
Airlines and destinations
See also
* List of airports in Queensland
This is a list of airports in the A ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Towns in Queensland
Australian Aboriginal missions
North West Queensland
Aboriginal communities in Queensland
Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee
Localities in Queensland