Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Wakka Wakka people as the traditional custodians of the land on which Cherbourg stands and on which this festival will be held. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and to the many Nations and peoples who have made Cherbourg their home across generations.
On Country, on the South Burnett.
Cherbourg is an Aboriginal community in the South Burnett region of Queensland, around 250 km north west of Brisbane. Its history with the Australian state is long, and it is not simple. Carried alongside it, and carried further, is a deep and ongoing cultural life. Held by Elders, artists, families and young people.
The Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council is the local government body for the community. The Council holds cultural authority over The Cherbourg Festival, working with cultural leaders and a founding consortium of stakeholders.
A living programme
The festival is built to be a yearly gathering on Country. It grows intergenerational knowledge, language and confidence. And it invites Queensland, Australia and the world to share in it, on Cherbourg's terms.
Protocols
All programming honours ICIP protocols. Cultural authority is held by the Council and the cultural leaders it works with. Visitor protocols will be published ahead of the inaugural event.
Held by the Council.
Cultural authority over the festival sits with the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, with the cultural leaders, the Elders, and the community.
Cultural authority
Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council
The Council is the lead body for The Cherbourg Festival. It holds the cultural and governance framework, the relationship with the cultural leaders and Elders of Cherbourg, and the accountability for delivery to funders and partners.
Founding consortium
Cultural, creative and government stakeholders.
The Council works with a founding consortium of cultural, creative and government stakeholders to shape the festival's annual programme and its six year pathway to 2032.
Partners & funders
State, federal and corporate.
Community & region
Cherbourg, Murgon, Kingaroy, the South Burnett.
How we name this place.
The festival is always The Cherbourg Festival. The community is Cherbourg, the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire, or the Cherbourg community. The traditional Country is Wakka Wakka Country. The wider region is the South Burnett. And Country is always capitalised when it names Aboriginal Country. These are not small distinctions. They are how respect is written down.