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| Ghiridelli’s gang of canecutters from Mantua, ca. 1900—1915, NQ Photographic Collection, Publications Album, NQID 3140. Go to NQHeritage@JCU to read Sotto la Croce del Sud = Under the Southern Cross: The Jumna immigrants of 1891. |
What makes history, and how does it shape our lives?
Wars, natural disasters, political manoeuvrings – large events make a difference to what shapes the world, but you don’t have to look further than yourself and your family to see how the past shapes the here and now.
When Italians eat panettone at Christmas, when Hindus celebrate Diwali, when someone speaks a different language at home than they do in school, these are all influences that the past has on our present. When people migrate to a new place they take with them objects that they value – a school report, an embroidery sampler, a diary, a family recipe – that have meaning to them.
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| William Hann's expedition diary, 1871. Photograph by Michael Marzik. Go to NQHeritage@JCU to read the diary online. |
From stories of journeys, to stories of survival, to stories of adjustments as cultures clashed and eventually melded into uneasy truces, the items around you can provide insights into our shared history in North Queensland.
We all have a point of origin
Queensland has two distinct First Nations peoples – the Aboriginal peoples from the mainland and the Torres Strait Islander peoples from the archipelago situated between Cape York Peninsula and Papua New Guinea. For more than 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been caretakers of this land, and their knowledge systems and traditional beliefs are a key part of Queensland’s identity.
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| Eddie Koiki Mabo presenting a lecture. © James Cook University. Go to NQHeritage@JCU to watch Koiki Mabo’s Guest Lecture on the Torres Strait Islander Community delivered in 1982. |
Many other North Queenslanders can trace their heritage through waves of migration. British and Irish free settlers and assisted migrants came to Queensland following the convict era. Successive gold rushes brought diverse groups of miners to the state’s North (particularly from China). And the state’s sugar industry saw South Sea Islanders brought in as indentured labourers.
Waves of migration to Australia after WWII saw displaced persons from throughout Europe flee their countries of birth due to war, dislocation and the redrawing of national borders, while immigration in the 1950s and 1960s consisted of those seeking employment and better living conditions. These included migrants from Italy, Greece and Malta. Since the 1970s, Australia has welcomed migrants from all over the world. What are your origins?
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| Frederic Charles Hall, Chinese teacher and student in a Queensland school for the blind, Reverend Frederic Charles Hall Photographic Collection, NQ ID 917. Go to NQHeritage@JCU to read Top Sawyers: the Chinese in Cairns 1870 to 1920 by Cathie May. |
The Origins displays
Join us at the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library to explore our Origins displays on the First Floor. There are numerous display cases showing material from the Special Collections that focus on the diverse origins and heritage of North Queenslanders.
See a range of materials including original manuscripts, rare books and artworks which invite exploration into the stories of those who have come before bringing their cultural knowledge systems, values, religions, prejudices, practices, languages, foods and families to North Queensland.
The Origins displays will be on show until mid April, 2026. Members of the public are welcome to view the displays during our serviced hours – check here for current times.
If you'd like to delve further, we have a number of family archives listed on NQHeritage@JCU with fascinating treasures waiting to be discovered.
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