Birdsville’s courthouse becomes museum, prompting history conversations
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In Birdsville, a town in Queensland, Australia, the historic courthouse reopened as a museum after twenty years of planning.
Current and former residents gathered for an opening ceremony celebrating the building’s preservation. Maria Sammon Wheeler, whose father once worked in the courthouse, advocated for the museum to accurately preserve memories of life in the area. However, the building also holds difficult memories for some.
Wangkangurru man Don Rowlands recalled being physically abused as a child while performing chores for the police, and explained that as a ward of the state, he and other Indigenous Australians had limited control over their lives. Rowlands hopes the museum will encourage visitors to learn about this history and hear perspectives from people like him. Several Indigenous elders returned to Birdsville for the opening, and Peta Rowlands organized events for them to connect with the local school and culture.
She believes the museum will foster further storytelling and healing within the community by allowing open discussion of the past, both positive and negative. Diamantina Shire Mayor Francis Murray stated the opening provided a chance for everyone to share their accounts of Birdsville’s history.
