TRACQS Employment Consultant: Claudia, TRACQS Activity Manager: Lance, Mona Mona Bulmba Corporation Project Officer: Hanz, Mona Mona Activity Supervisor: Allin. All together at the TRACQS office
From left to right: TRACQS Employment Consultant: Claudia, TRACQS Activity Manager: Lance, Mona Mona Bulmba Corporation Project Officer: Hanz, Mona Mona Activity Supervisor: Allin.

Located around an hour outside of Cairns, Mona Mona was established in Kuranda in 1913 by the Seventh Day Adventist Church as a mostly self-sufficient community.

Many Indigenous people (mainly of Djabugay origin) near Kuranda were forcibly sent to be educated and trained as bakers, butchers, carpenters, timber cutters and other domestic labour workers. They were taken from their families and placed into single-sex dormitories.

The local people lived and worked at the mission until its closure in 1962.

They spent years waiting for the government to consider building new houses and infrastructure for residents. Even now, the houses stand dilapidated; many built with tin and corrugated iron. The water and electricity is unreliable. Some buildings don’t even have floors.

It wasn’t until around 10 years ago when the people of the Indigenous community of Mona Mona celebrated the historic handover of their land from the state government that established a 30 year lease of the area.

Now in conjunction with host organization Mona Mona Bulmba Aboriginal Corporation, TRACQS has created a groundbreaking Community Development Program (CDP) activity to revitalise the community.

CDP participant Allin Roberson has been employed to head-up the clean-up project, sharing that he is “On a high that a new project for Mona Mona is happening and can’t wait to beautify our community of Mona Mona.”

The upcoming projects include:

  • Clean our Community
  • Cemetery clean-up
  • Identifying the graves of Mona Mona descendants and placing plaques on headstones
  • Placing of historical signage of old dormitories, markets, garden, and timber mill

Employment Consultant Claudia says it’s rewarding to hear the CDP Participants so excited.

One participant says, “It makes my hair stand to know that we are going back home to make Mona Mona alive again.”

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