Artwork by Quandamooka artist, Bindi (Belinda Day). Photo: Supplied.
BY JAN NARY
Visitors to the Redlands Coast Museum will be captivated by the brilliant new artwork at its entrance as well as the attractive new reception and shop. The striking Quandamooka Country mural showing Minjerribah, Mulgumpin, and the Redlands Coast is threaded through by Kabool, the ancestral carpet snake painted by Quandamooka artist Bindi (Belinda Day). Bindi developed the artwork for the museum’s First Nations Education Committee (FNEC), a radical and exciting stride forward to the museum’s enhanced position in the Redlands community.
Doug Alexander, former museum president, along with his long-term friends John and Leah Close, initiated the FNEC, seeking to introduce First Nations culture and history into the museum.
“Recognising that the museum’s collections started around the 1860s, we decided that we should have a full First Nations exhibition; educative, entertaining and interactive, incorporating storytelling, artefacts and ultimately employing a First Nations cultural guide.”
John Close, Quandamooka Traditional Owner, is the chair of the FNEC, which is developing the program that he hopes will help introduce non-Indigenous visitors to an understanding of Country as seen through an Indigenous lens.
The first step was to develop a museum Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan. The FNEC, comprising four First Nations People and three non-Indigenous museum members, completed that task in 2024. A slightly larger committee has now almost completed the next stage of the Innovate RAP. This RAP includes plans that are well underway for the new exhibition, Maguydan Quandamooka (The Quandamooka Story). It will incorporate both a major walk-through space and links throughout the museum. These “Did you know” links will provide visitors with information about the Quandamooka People’s approach to topics featured in existing displays, such as farming, fishing and medicine.
“Teachers are sometimes reluctant to teach Indigenous material because of the concerns about crossing sensitive cultural boundaries,” Doug says. “We intend to incorporate a variety of teaching tools that match the government’s education curriculum from Grades 1 to 12. Generally, if it captivates the children, they usually return with their parents.”
The Quandamooka Story exhibition will cover Original Time, Changing Time (colonisation, the impacts of mass immigration and two world wars) and Now Time.
“Now Time acknowledges all the people from the Quandamooka community who have achieved greatness, from leading artists and activists to sportsmen,” says John. “It will be developed and change as stories from our community evolve, and it will give school children and visitors an appreciation of the deep, proud history of the Quandamooka people.
“Learning about another culture is the beginning of sharing respect for it,” he says. “Our Quandamooka ancestors lived harmoniously with Mother Earth continuously for about 25,000 years. This exhibition will provide knowledge to visitors about that and more in exciting ways. Visitors can make up their own minds about what they want to take away. We hope all visitors will leave with a strong understanding and pride about the oldest culture in the world.”
The FNEC committee has developed a Business Case seeking funding and support from sponsors, benefactors, donors, and government grants. For more information, contact Redlands Coast Museum on 3286 3494.
