STATE Government approval which will allow the building of a cultural centre at Musgrave Park was the culmination of an idea that had been talked about for close to 30 years, Musgrave Park Cultural Centre (MPCC) member Dulcie Bronsch said.

...... She said the idea was put on paper with their first formal submission in 1985, an idea that stemmed from the Musgrave Park Aboriginal Corporation.

...... Administrator at the time was Pat Murdoch who did a great deal of research on the park and the significance of its location.

...... Much of this research is on file at FAIRA Aboriginal Corporation and at the recently incorporated MPCC.

...... Mr Murdoch gained much support from both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the community and remained steadfast in his belief that the area had always had strong traditional associations for Aboriginal people.

...... Current President of the MPCC Selwyn Johnson said much of the problem over the years had been ignorance in the wider community about the significance of Musgrave Park and the aspirations of the Aboriginal community.

...... "There was a lot of questions asked about what we were going to do but they weren't asked to us and the people who were giving them answers had no idea where we were at, where we were heading or where we wanted to head," he said.

...... "So there was a lot of ignorance because they just didn't come to us and ask us our part of the story."

...... He said it had taken at least 12 years of putting in submissions every year to gain the lease which was for their second preferred site in the Park.

...... "We wanted the tennis courts, that was our first choice, but the lease they've given is up on the bowling green which is fair enough because we can do stuff with it to the advantage of the community and mainly the Murri community," he said.

...... "It's not what we wanted but it's what they've given us and we're not going to be greedy because it's taken us so long to get where we are.

...... "We've put in submissions every year, trying for approval every year and getting it back every year but this time we've got it in writing, we've actually got that lease, and we're going to take it.

...... "And now we've got to go back and do it again, even though it's been done over and over, we've got to more or less start again to get this funding.

...... "The only thing we can do is work out the best way to utilise that Cultural Centre for our benefit with the future in mind."

...... He said the struggles of past committees should also be remembered.

...... "There have been lots of different Murris on the Committee, some of them have passed away, and it just so happens that at this time and place we're the ones on the Committee that have scored this lease.

...... "It could have been any number of Murris who have had a lot of input into getting this place, it wasn't just this Committee, it's been a long slog."

...... The present committee was formed just over two years ago with Jeannie Bell as President. In 1997 she wrote: "There has been too much blood, sweat and tears gone into this struggle, let along the history of Aboriginal survival and resistance in this part of the country, just to give in now.

...... "The Cultural Centre will not only benefit Murris, but most of all will be a place where we can show the wider community the uniqueness of our culture and history, and build up respect within the community.

...... We believe that this respect is often lacking from non-Aboriginal people and we are committed to changing this as we go into the new century."

...... For further information contact the MPCC on 3846 5700.

About the Park

The Musgrave Park area was known to be a meeting place for Aboriginal groups in south east Queensland where feasts, ceremonies and meetings were often held.

...... Aboriginal people were progressively forced out of the area as the demands of Brisbane City spread and the land was cleared for farming, residential and light industrial areas throughout the last two centuries.

...... The 1996 Musgrave Park Conservation Study noted that: "Murri people speak of the many layers of history and meaning contained in Musgrave Park for them.

...... "First, it is a Murri place, widely acknowledged by Aboriginal people from throughout Australia, and by the non-Aboriginal community of Brisbane (and perhaps further afield).

...... "Musgrave Park has always been a Murri place: its place in community life is without beginning and end.

...... "As a traditional place Musgrave Park is recalled as a place of ritual, ceremony, dispute resolution.

...... "As a Murri place, it has continued to serve the community as a place of contact, meeting, exchange, celebration, commemoration and struggle."