Loganlea High’s Deadly News preserved in Yugambeh Museum

A part of Queensland’s written history has been preserved after hundreds of indigenous magazines were handed to an aboriginal museum south of Brisbane this week

Longstanding volunteer Bernie Smith has helped out Loganlea High School's Knowledge House (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Centre) at Loganlea State High school. He has spent considerable time creating his own newspapers that capture achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to inspire the youth of today. He is pictured at Yugumbeh Museum with, from left, Loganlea High School’s Tammy Baart, principal Brenton Farleigh and museum director Rory O'Connor. Picture: Richard Gosling

A part of Queensland’s written history has been saved after more than 100 indigenous magazines were handed to an aboriginal museum south of Brisbane this week.

CENTRE FOR ABORIGINAL KIDS

Logan historian and academic Bernie Smith has been producing the Deadly News newspapers about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for Loganlea State High School since 2010.

The 83-year-old grandfather wrote his weekly papers while working as a volunteer at the school’s Knowledge House, a centre for aboriginal culture, where the papers were stored.

One of the features in the Deadly News, compiled by longstanding Loganlea High School volunteer Bernie Smith, who has helped out the school's Knowledge House and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Centre. Picture by Richard Gosling

His daughter, former Loganlea High principal Belinda Tregea, wanted indigenous students to be the guardians of their history and asked Mr Smith to set up the paper.

Mr Smith said parting with the newspapers was like leaving a child but he would continue to produce the weekly newspapers for Loganlea High School.

“My daughter was forward-thinking and was the first in Australia to start an indigenous newspaper in a school.”

But the school, which had the highest indigenous student population south of Brisbane, has run out of adequate space and needed to find a safe place to store the historically valuable printed editions.

Principal Brenton Farleigh said the Yugambeh Museum, at Beenleigh, was the ideal place for the printed pieces of history.

Loganlea State High School principal Brenton Farleigh was at the museum for the hand over of the newspapers, compiled by Bernie Smith, the father of previous principal Belinda Tregea. Picture: Richard Gosling

“Bernie is passionate about supporting students and decided to create his own magazines which captured the achievements of indigenous men and women across Australia and in Logan,” Mr Farleigh said.

“Students read his magazines and are inspired by what indigenous people have been able to achieve in our country and local community.

“Given the magazines are ageing and are so precious, we agreed that the best place for them to be kept is at Yugambeh Museum.”

AWARD FOR AUNTY PAT

One of the pages from an edition compiled by Bernie Smith. Picture: Richard Gosling

Museum director Rory O’Connor, a former journalist, said Naidoc Week, this week, was the perfect time for finding a new home for the newspaper archive which documents landmark indigenous events including native title rights for North Stradbroke Island (Minjerriba) and for Moreton Island (Mulgumpin).

Mr O’Connor’s mother Aunty Pat O’Connor, set up the Yugambeh Museum in 1995, in an effort to revive and preserve the Yugambeh culture, language and history.

“So much of our history has not been documented and some that has is not readily accessible,” he said.

“Bernie’s newspapers are a vast resource which everyone, from students to elders, will be able to read and use for reference.”

Mr O’Connor said after further COVID restrictions were lifted, he planned to restart school tours of the museum, which is at Beenleigh about 40 minutes south of Brisbane.