Cherbourg
Cherbourg
Salvation Army member William Thompson originally established Cherbourg in 1899 before being the township was taken over as a Government Settlement in 1904. Aboriginal people were forcibly removed and brought from all over Queensland and Northern New South Wales to the newly formed government reserve. Under the Queensland State Government’s Aborigines Protection Act of 1897 the settlement was originally called Barambah until in 1932 the town’s name changed to Cherbourg due to the mail delivery confusion it caused with the nearby property called “Barambah Station” which still stands today.
Nowadays people can reflect on Cherbourg’s problematic history as well as the community’s great achievements at the Ration Shed Museum, which is the original building where locals would receive their weekly food rations from the government. Open during weekdays, the museum offers an insight into what life was like on the reserve as well as several interesting stories from community leaders and activists as well as some of Cherbourg’s most well known sports men and women.
In a Nutshell
On November 6, 1931, Donald Bradman was dismissed for a duck in a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland by a speed bowler from Cherbourg, Eddie Gilbert. Bradman would later describe the event as the fastest bowling he ever faced.
