Breaking a cycle of crime and abuse, how Cherbourg's next generation are taking up the fight
19 year old Koby Douglas, from Cherbourg in Queensland, has a message for political leaders: "Come to Aboriginal communities and ask us what we want – what changes we want in this country and in our own backyard." Credit: Dan Rennie The Wakka Wakka people, traditional owners of Cherbourg, located approximately 170 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, are calling on political leaders to engage with communities like theirs. As the election campaign approaches its conclusion, neither Anthony Albanese nor Peter Dutton have made a visit to an Indigenous community and the community are concerned that they will once again be overlooked.
"Come listen and face the problems we face every day, you never know unless you experience it or see it for yourself," says Carla Fisher, councillor for Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council. Health care, she says, is of major concern to the community. "That gap, it's not closing, it's getting wider. "A lot of people over the years are ending up with cancer, and by the time they find out they have cancer it's too late. "I'm just gonna call it straight how I see it, it's systemic racism through health, not just health but law and order and education as well."
Many in the community, the site of a former mission, say issues of youth crime, substance abuse, and overcrowded housing are critical factors that will shape their voting decisions in this election. Cherbourg is a dry community, however Cr Fisher says drug issues are the real cause of much of the criminal activity. "We have the alcohol management plan here but that's not the problem, drugs are even bigger than alcohol, and even sniffing, but grief plays a big part in their lives as well," she said. Many of the youth in Cherbourg want to break the challenging cycle of crime and substance abuse.
For 19 year old Koby Douglas, substance abuse is an everyday part of life but one that he hopes won't plague the Aboriginal community forever. "It's pretty bad, mainly with marijuana and ice," he tells NITV. "And with yarndi, it's pretty normalised today. "But a lot of people they don't see that it can affect you as well, mentally."
Employed as executive assistant to Cherbourg Mayor Bruce Simpson, Mr Douglas is also worried about the spike in youth crime, not only for innocent bystanders, but he's fearful for the perpetrators themselves. "I'm afraid because there's a lot of people walking around on the streets," he said. "The stolen cars that drive around here, they drive pretty dangerously. "They could hit anyone driving in the street, and also I'm afraid for the people that's driving or in the stolen car as well."
Nearly every family in Cherbourg includes members of the Stolen Generation, taken from their traditional homelands, and sent to the former mission site, then known as Barambah Aboriginal Settlement . "Generational trauma, it exists a lot, it's still here today," Cr Fisher said. "You look at child safety removing children – it's still happening today like it was back then. 'First of all, organisations and government, they need to sit down and talk with our people." Koby echoes what many in the town have called for. "Hear our people out," he says. "Come to Aboriginal communities and ask us what we want - what changes we want in this country and in our own backyard."
Interviews and feature reports from NITV. A mob-made podcast about all things Blak life.
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