Weaving Together Stories of Reconciliation, Resilience and Change
Beaudesert is a rural community in the heart of the Scenic Rim in the Gold Coast Hinterland, one hour south of Brisbane, Queensland.
Beaudesert is a community with a strong history and a rich future. Over the years it has gone from being settled by graziers predominantly for sheep and cotton, to timber, cattle and dairying. Today it sits between rural farmland and suburban sprawl, a regional hub on the cusp of further changes and challenges brought by new housing and industrial developments.
During our 2014 residency in Beaudesert, Big Stories ran workshops, made films with a variety of community members and staged exhibitions and events for the community. Students from the University of Queensland helped to engage a wider range of the community in photography and digital storytelling and the Scenic Rim Council reaffirmed the importance of stories, art and creativity in the region as they look towards a vibrant future.
Big Stories Beaudesert focusses on locals telling stories across cultures and generations - stories of reconciliation, resilience and change. We explore an inter-generational history lessons, an inspiring Indigenous mentoring program and the little told story of 'Blackbirding' in the region where South Sea Islanders were taken from their homelands and brought as indentured labourers to Australia.