The Lord Mayor of the largest city council in the southern hemisphere, Councillor Graham Quirk is looking at changing the name of streets called Boundary but only if the change is endorsed by the local First Nations community.
.
Prominent Aboriginal activist, Sam Watson, has already rejected the push, saying Boundary Street in the Brisbane suburbs of West End and Spring Hill continues to serve as a reminder of the horrific treatment endured by the original inhabitants of the area.
The inner-city Boundary Streets, on either side of the Brisbane River, were named due to a racist policy that separated European arrivals from the local Jagera and Turrbal populations.
The change has been mooted after street signs in West End were changed to "Boundless Street" and an online petition started calling for the name change to be made official.
Petitioner Michael Colenso said the names were "outdated" and held Brisbane back from "meaningful progression as a city and peoples committed to truthful and respectful harmony".
Cr Quirk says while understood motivation behind the peititon, given the shocking treatment Murris suffered at the hands of early European settlers, he wants to speak to local elders about their views.
.
He says while it’s a part of our history that we can’t be proud about, it is a part of our history nonetheless and a reminder of the prejudices that did used to exist and the limitations of freedom that did apply to our mob in our past.
Image supplied: Brisbane elder, Uncle Sam Watson