Townsville’s vibrant and rich history, including its most significant stories and personalities is the focus of the Museum of Tropical Queensland’s latest exhibition, Townsville turns 150: the old and the news.
This major exhibition which opened on Monday showcases the highs and lows of the city from the past 150 years as reported in the local media.
Queensland Museum Network CEO and Director Professor Suzanne Miller said the exhibition celebrated Townsville’s 150th anniversary as a municipality.
“The exhibition will give visitors a chance to take a closer look at Townsville’s history decade by decade since 1866, and also them an insight into how the media has played a major role in reflecting and influencing community attitudes,” Professor Miller said.
“Townsville’s first newspaper, the Castletown Times, was published in 1864, the year the site of the new North Queensland port was chosen, and was the first of many newspapers and media to leave us with a fascinating historical record,” she said.
Townsville City Council Mayor Jenny Hill said the exhibition profiled some of North Queensland’s most significant and influential personalities whose work continues to impact our lives today.
“From Eddie Mabo, who fought for the landmark High Court judgement that recognised Torres Strait Islanders’ ongoing title to their land and opened up the prospect of ongoing native title throughout Australia, to George Walker, who was instrumental in changing Australian building codes after Cyclone Tracy, Townsville has provided the elements for everyday people to do extraordinary things,” Mayor Hill said.
One of the common denominators of the success of both Mabo and Walker, and numerous other residents from North Queensland who have gone on to change both history and lives, is James Cook University (JCU), which was proclaimed in 1970.
James Cook University Vice Chancellor and President Professor Sandra Harding said JCU and the north Queensland media had a rich history together.
“We appreciate and celebrate news reporting in the north. The media has recorded many of JCU’s great moments, milestones and achievements,” she said.
“As one of the world's leading institutions focusing on the tropics, we recognise our special obligation to be relevant to our own region and have forged close links to the social fabric of northern Queensland.
“The North Queensland media continues to play an integral part of that.”
The exhibition features over 200 everyday objects which show how different aspects of society have changed, from communications and technology, to cameras and cultural items.
To coincide with the exhibition, the museum is presenting a series of history lectures throughout 2016 by local historians as part of its monthly talk series.
Visit mtq.qm.qld.gov.au for more information.
