Heritage & Environment
Cooper Plains Origins, Dutch History Cafe Projects
Parliament & Lucinda Bar Tour

This month includes thoughts on our group’s focus, an event and progress on the Convict Camp and Dutch House History Cafe projects.

Heritage and Environment

At last month’s meeting, I promised to provide an explanation to members of my proposal to broaden the group’s scope. I suggested our focus include not just the past, but the cultural dimensions of history and the ecosystems that affect how we live today. I think of the first part as heritage, or legacies. We are all a product of the actions of those that went before us. We are both blessed and burdened by them and we are responsible for how we manage these bequests and legacies and how we use them to inform our future actions.
In preserving our architecture and documenting the changes in our landscape, there is opportunity to leave a better environment for future generations. Future development should learn from and improve upon past experience, from indigenous knowledge to the mid-century Dutch Housing project. Development should incorporate existing robust and retrofittable buildings such as the Dutch Houses. What is not deemed salvageable can be replaced with higher density, better designed structures.
In July last year, I proposed – and the group agreed – to change the group’s name by dropping the word ‘Local’. There were various reasons for this, but one was brevity. To maintain this, I am now asking the group to agree to a subtitle to our branding – “Heritage and Environment”. More information is in a News post this month on our website entitled “Heritage and Environment”. Please send in your feedback by commenting on that news post or below (you may need to click this post’s heading to bring the comments field up).

Coopers Plains Origin Project and Dutch House History Cafe Project

Further progress towards the application for two grants is being made. CPHG will apply to the Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs Community Facilities grant for funds so set up a Dutch House History Cafe. Another application is being prepared under the Community Support category to provide funds for the Coopers Plains Origin Project. This includes the work already done to locate Dr Cowpers’ Convict Camp which will be written up, published and presented in conjunction with the commemoration activities of Queensland’s Bicentenary this year. This, we hope, will also see more educational signage around our area and promote Coopers Plains as the “First Crossroad of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony”.  Possible auspicing organizations include St David’s Neighbourhood Centre and the Dutch Australia Cultural Centre.  CPHG has also taken a leading role in lobbying the state and local government to be more active in commemorating both Queensland’s origins and the Brisbane City Council’s amalgamation nearly 100 years ago.

Events

Parliament House and Lucinda Bar Tour

Date and Time: Friday February 9th at 4pm.
RSVPs for the event close on Monday 5th. Please see HERE for details.

Cooper Plains History Group Monthly Meeting

February 17th Saturday at 4pm
Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room (at the back)

All welcome. Please RSVP by commenting below.  Thanks to the friendly and helpful staff of the Coopers Plains Library for printing out newsletters and offering them to anyone who wants to keep in touch without going online. The Coopers Plains Library Meeting Room is booked every 3rd Saturday at 4pm for us to meet.