Marching with a mission

UQ researchers help document history

A group of teenage girls next to a smaller group of young girls. The teenagers are wearing pale blue short pleated skirts, red hats, red shirts with tassels, mid-length white socks, and white shoes. The younger children are wearing white dresses, hats, socks and shoes.

Cherbourg Marching Girls in 1968. Image: Supplied

Cherbourg Marching Girls in 1968. Image: Supplied

At a time when Aboriginal people’s lives were controlled – including what language they spoke, where they could go and who they could marry – Aunty Lesley Williams was marching outside these restrictions.

It was 1957 in the Queensland Aboriginal community of Cherbourg when a group of girls, including Aunty Lesley, answered the call to participate in competitive marching, a national sport phenomenon during the 1950s and 60s.

“We just wanted to be part of this exciting thing that was going to happen,” the former marching girl said.

Aunty Lesley and University of Queensland researchers helped bring to life the stories from the era of the Cherbourg Marching Girls, through a new book, Marching with a Mission: Cherbourg’s Marching Girls.

A stack of blue hardcover books. Another of the same book is resting on a stand in front of the stack.

Image: Supplied

Image: Supplied

Co-authors Professor Murray Phillips and Dr Gary Osmond, from UQ’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, worked closely with Aunty Lesley, her sister Aunty Sandra Morgan and other former marching girls to record this significant part of history.

Marching with a Mission co-authors Dr Gary Osmond (left) and Professor Murray Phillips.

“We learnt and helped share stories of pride, resilience and community building through sport during a repressive governmental regime that controlled nearly every aspect of the lives of the people – inmates as they were termed – at Cherbourg,” Dr Osmond said.

The Cherbourg Marching Girls were the only Indigenous marching group in Queensland and the law at the time meant the group had to request special permission to leave and travel outside the community.

“It was a closed community, and we didn't know any other life,” Aunty Lesley said.

“We enjoyed it and made the best of it always.”

Dr Gary Osmond and Professor Murray Phillips standing in front of a full bookshelf. They are holding a copy of the book Marching with a Mission in front of them.

Marching with a Mission co-authors Dr Gary Osmond (left) and Professor Murray Phillips.

Marching with a Mission co-authors Dr Gary Osmond (left) and Professor Murray Phillips.

A group of teenage girls standing in lines. They are wearing short white pleated skirts, mid-length white socks, white shoes, and coloured short sleeved shirts. The image is in black and white.

The original Merindas team in 1958. Image: Supplied

The original Merindas team in 1958. Image: Supplied

A group of young teenage girls standing in a line. They are all standing with one shoulder pointing towards the camera. They are wearing all white dresses, shoes and socks with caps.

Aunty Lesley Williams (second from right) and her team (Imparas) with trophies won at the 1959 Easter Championship in Brisbane. Image: Supplied

Aunty Lesley Williams (second from right) and her team (Imparas) with trophies won at the 1959 Easter Championship in Brisbane. Image: Supplied

Aunty Lesley participated in her first marching performance at the Murgon Show.

“Dressed in my school uniform and my team sash, as we didn’t have the official uniform yet, we were so proud performing for the first time, in front of an all-white audience,” she said

The original Merindas team in 1958. Image: Supplied

During the five years Aunty Lesley was a marching girl, she competed in numerous competitions throughout southeast Queensland including Toowoomba, Bundaberg, Kingaroy, Brisbane, Southport, and Melbourne for the Moomba Festival.

“The opportunity to travel to Melbourne was really exciting for us all, as it was our first time on a plane, and to be billeted out in pairs with other families,” Aunty Lesley said.

Aunty Lesley Williams (second from right) and her team (Imparas) with trophies won at the 1959 Easter Championship in Brisbane. Image: Supplied

“The team I was a member of won a few trophies and medals, including second in the Australian championship in Brisbane.

“The day of the Australian Championship it rained, we were saturated, and we just continued regardless of the rain.

“I think we did extremely well, especially in the conditions.

“We showed everyone that we could do just as well in sport as anybody else. I loved that!”

A group of older Indigenous women standing in a line on a stage. One of the women is standing at a lectern with a microphone gesturing towards one of the women behind herA white man is standing off to the side.

Aunty Lesley Williams launching the book at kuril dhagun, State Library of Queensland on 30 June 2022. Left to right: Aunties Allyson Waria (née Tears), Joan Nielson (née West), Alex Gater (née Gyemore), Sandra Morgan (née Malone), Ada Simpson (née Saunders), Lesley Williams (née Gyemore) and Iris Glenbar (née Bell) with Dr Gary Osmond. Image: Supplied

Aunty Lesley Williams launching the book at kuril dhagun, State Library of Queensland on 30 June 2022. Left to right: Aunties Allyson Waria (née Tears), Joan Nielson (née West), Alex Gater (née Gyemore), Sandra Morgan (née Malone), Ada Simpson (née Saunders), Lesley Williams (née Gyemore) and Iris Glenbar (née Bell) with Dr Gary Osmond. Image: Supplied

Professor Murray Phillips standing at a lectern with a microphone speaking to an audience.

Professor Murray Phillips speaking at the Marching with a Mission book launch. Image: Supplied

Professor Murray Phillips speaking at the Marching with a Mission book launch. Image: Supplied

Twoolder Indigenous women standing at a lectern with a microphone. One woman has her arm around the other.

Aunty Lesley (right) with Aunty Iris Glenbar (née Bell). Image: Supplied

Aunty Lesley (right) with Aunty Iris Glenbar (née Bell). Image: Supplied

UQ is celebrating NAIDOC Week, because the National NAIDOC Week occurs during the semester break.

NAIDOC celebrations address the theme ‘We all must continue to Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! for systemic change and keep rallying around our mob, our Elders, our communities’.

Professor Phillips said the book highlighted the historical importance of ‘our mob, our Elders, our communities’ and how storytelling is a way to ‘Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!’ to help reclaim and assert the past.

“By reading the book you are invited on the marching girls’ journey of remembering and recounting, and you learn about the experiences and achievements of these resilient young women,” Professor Phillips said.

Passionate sport historians, Professor Phillips and Dr Osmond have worked on several projects with Aunty Sandra and others from Cherbourg’s Ration Shed Museum, including collaborative research under an Australian Research Council Discovery Project.

“When we were invited to research the Cherbourg Marching Girls it was a breakthrough in trust because it was the first time the Cherbourg women opened up about their sporting pasts,” Dr Osmond said.

Professor Murray Phillips speaking at the Marching with a Mission book launch. Image: Supplied

“It was a joy working with Aunty Lesley because of her knowledge, vast networks, determination and wicked sense of humour.

“And through that we’ve been able to tell a complicated, nuanced and moving story.”

Aunty Lesley said without Professor Phillips and Dr Osmond the book wouldn't have come to fruition.

Aunty Lesley (right) with Aunty Iris Glenbar (née Bell). Image: Supplied

“History is important to us,” she said.

“It should be recorded, so we can pass on to future generations - everyone has a story to tell.

“We want to inspire non-Indigenous Australian women who were part of this marching movement to come together as we did, so they can tell their stories and have them recorded.

“I loved working with Gary and Murray to be able to fulfil my dream.

“It takes teamwork and there's a lot of people I would like to thank who made this book happen, so I can show my grandkids, who can show their kids, and their grandkids.”

Media: Kirsten O’Leary, UQ Communications, k.oleary@uq.edu.au, +61 (0)412 307 594.