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.

Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee
Queensland
Location within Queensland
Population1,507 (2018)[1]
 • Density0.8244/km2 (2.1352/sq mi)
Established1987
Area1,828 km2 (705.8 sq mi)[1]
MayorJason Grant Ned
Council seatDoomadgee
RegionNorth West Queensland
State electorate(s)Traeger
Federal Division(s)Kennedy
WebsiteAboriginal Shire of Doomadgee

Geography

The shire is located within the Gulf Country to the south of the Gulf of Carpentaria. It consists of two disconnected areas of land: the locality of Doomadgee which is inland and the locality of Gangalidda on the coast of the gulf. The shire was excised from the Shire of Burke and is surrounded by the Shire of Burke.[2]

History

The name Doomadgee derives from Dumaji, a coastal sand dune in the traditional land of the Yukulta / Ganggalidda people.[3]

Waanyi (also known as Wanyi, Wanyee, Wanee, Waangyee, Wonyee, Garawa, and Wanji) is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Gulf Country. The language region includes the western parts of Lawn Hill Creek and Nicholson River, from about the boundary between the Northern Territory and Queensland, westwards towards Alexandria station, Doomadgee, and Nicholson River. It includes the local government area of the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee.[4] The Yukulta (also known as Ganggalida) language region is also of the Gulf Country, including the local government areas of the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee and Shire of Mornington.[5]

"Old Doomadgee Mission" was established in 1933 by the Akehursts, a Christian Brethren family, supported by the church and Queensland's Chief Protector of Aboriginals, to house primarily Gangalidda people who had ended up living on the fringes of the Burketown township.[6][3] It was located at Dumaji at Bayley Point Aboriginal reserve, on Gangalidda land. After a cyclone in 1936 destroyed the settlement, and the decision was made to move the settlement to Nicholson River, where the later Doomadgee Mission was established[7] at "new Doomadgee".[3]

Doomadgee's population increased greatly during the 1950s-1960s, and facilities including a store, bank, post office, rodeo ground and a bakery were established. From a population of 138 in 1938, it had grown to 1257 by 2011.[3]

On 30 March 1985, the Doomadgee community elected five councillors to constitute an autonomous Doomadgee Aboriginal Council, and on 21 May 1987, under the Community Services (Aborigines) Act 1984 the Aboriginal reserve was transferred from the Queensland Government to the trusteeship of the Doomadgee Aboriginal Council, under a Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT).[6] The area included the sites of both the former and current mission.

On 1 January 2005, the Doomadgee Aboriginal Council became the Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council.[6]

In 2010 the Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council was established under the Local Government Act 2009.

People

The majority of residents are Gangalidda or Waanyi people, but smaller populations of Gadawa, Lardil, Mingginda and Garawa are also resident within Doomadgee.

Mayors

  • 2008-2016: Frederick O'Keefe[8][9]
  • 2016-2020: Edric Walden[10]
  • 2020–present: Jason Grant Ned[11]

See also

References

  1. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  3. "Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland at the University of Queensland. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  4. This Wikipedia article incorporates CC-BY-4.0 licensed text from: "Waanyi". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  5. This Wikipedia article incorporates CC-BY-4.0 licensed text from: "Yukulta". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  6. This Wikipedia article incorporates CC-BY-4.0 licensed text from: "Doomadgee". Queensland Government. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  7. "Old Doomadgee Mission (1933 - 1936)". Find & Connect. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. "2008 Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  9. "2012 Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  10. "2016 Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  11. "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.