Save Yungaba

The Queensland Government and the Brisbane City Council plan to allow developers to turn Queensland's historic Yungaba immigration hostel into yet another luxury gated residential housing development against the overwhelming objections of local residents.

Included below is a letter from Delend Cuddihy of the Yungaba Action Group.

Dear Yungaba supporters and friends,

In these days leading up to December 15, the date set down for the hand-over of Yungaba to the developer, it seems appropriate that this act of despoliation will happen in the season of Scythrops novaehollandiae.

The largest parasitic Cuckoo in the world, Scythrops novaehollandiae, migrates to Queensland from overseas between August and October each year. This fearsome bird, with its raucus cry -- listen to the audio file (191K) here. -- strikes fear into the hearts of local birds as it seeks out nests, destroys eggs or eats the young, and then lays its own eggs in the nest. The youngScythrops chicks don't evict the host's young or eggs from the nest, but they simply grow faster and demand all the food, thus starving the others. Then, through deception and gluttony, they grow to full, awesome size and depart Australia.

Just so, the reign of the Scythrops novaehollandiaedevelopers and profiteers has descended on Queensland - with the sale and redevelopment of Yungaba, the 30 story highrise developments in West End, the sale of public forests, ports, motorways and parts of the rail network and, now the announcement late last week that the State's National Parks are to be opened for eco-tourism development. See the Courier Mail story "Parks Tourist Storm Looms" of 25 Nov 09.

To paraphrase Tony Fitzgerald's recent warning, Scythrops novaehollandiaeare already in the nest of Queensland!

Queenslanders have but a short time for our voice to be heard, to raise our own storm in protest at this despoliation.

Yungaba Action Group invites you to join us in
Demonstration on the grass on the river side of Yungaba at 10am -- 12.30pm Sunday, 13 December 13.

Can you help us spread the word of this demonstration? -- see poster attached (pdf 168KB).

Perhaps you could spread the poster to your friends, family, through your networks, facebook etc? or print copies of it and paste them around your neighbourhood?

Or perhaps you could ring the Government Call Centre on 131304 to have your comment recorded and reported.

Whatever we can, wherever we are, with whatever we have, we must act now to protect our heritage and culture.

Delene Cuddihy 0402 597259

See also: www.yungaba.org.au, "Yungaba's is a history that should not be lost" by Australian author David Malouf in the Australian of 5 Dec 09, "Ghost of Cloudland back with a vengeance" by Rosemary Sorensen in the Australian of 5 Dec 09, "Govt rejects tag of 'red-neck developer'" by Tony Moore in the Brisbane Times of 5 Dec 09,

#update" id="update">Update, 11 Dec 09: Bulldozers already on site,

Delene Cuddihy writes:

Dear Yungaba Supporters & Friends - Remember the Belle Vue & Cloudland?
The bulldozers are already on the Yungaba site.

Come to Yungaba on Sunday December 13th at 10am to protest this blow to
Queensland History.

Let them not say that we didn't stand up for our History and our
Culture. Long Live Yungaba!

What else you can do: Sign the e-petition which calls for the immediate resignation of the Queensland Govenment and new elections on the grounds of not consulting public on privatisation.

#update2" id="update2">Update, 30 Jan 10: Yungaba sold, but fight not over

Delene Cuddihy writes:

Dear Yungaba Supporters and Friends,

As 2010 begins, I would like to wish you all the best for the coming year. And let us hope that reason and love of heritage prevail this year and Yungaba will be saved for the Queensland public. This dishonourable act against our culture and history by our own representatives will continue to be told in the annals of Queensland history for generations to come: see today's Q Section in The Courier Mail:

On December 15, the State Government finalized the sale - Yungaba now belongs to Australand. When I attended Yungaba for a television interview on December 15th, the television crew was not allowed to film the interview in front of the building. So much for the much vaunted claim that this development will retain the heritage of Yungaba and benefit the community! The alienation has started already!

Thanks to all those who attended the Rally on December 13th - it was a
big ask of our supporters at this time of year and in the heat of summer
- see Courier Mail article "Yungaba sale settles but action group fights on" of 15 Dec 09 by Margaret Wenham.

Approximately 70 people attended over the two hours of the Rally and after much discussion, decisions were made on two courses of action to continue to fight for Yungaba in spite of the impending sale:

1. to seek an urgent deputation to the Premier to ask for a stay of action on the gutting of Yungaba and to present alternative proposals for public usage;
2. to seek to explore the establishment of a community fund which would work to obtain financial pledges from the public in order to "buy-back" the main Yungaba building so that the unique 1800s immigration depot interior is not gutted but rather retained and developed as an immigration museum;

As regards 1. - unsurprisingly, the silence to our request is deafening.

In the meantime, Yungaba's cause has gained the support of many prominent Queenslanders and Australians. With the aid of these people, we are appealing directly to Australand to save Yungaba for the people. Australand have advised us that it will cost them $13 million to refurbish Yungaba, plus $5.3m to build an Auditorium in the Yungaba Carpark. Surely they will be interested in saving $19m for their shareholders, as well as saving Yungaba for the people of Queensland? Therefore, as regards 2. - if you are interested in the formation of a community fund - please contact me.

We have written again to the Lord Mayor suggesting that he can now deal directly with Australand to secure Yungaba for his Multicultural and Indigenous Museum. So could you contact him again on lordmayor [ AT ] brisbane.qld.gov.au to let him know that there is widespread community support for this? Many people continue to sign the petition on our website and to tell their Yungaba story.

Please encourage your family and friends to sign the petition and to tell their Yungaba story - http://www.yungaba.org.au/stories.html

These stories and petitions are invaluable - as they are the bedrock that reassure us that Yungaba is a just cause and worth fighting for - and add strength and momentum to our cause.

It's not over yet!

Delene Cuddihy
dc [ AT ] yungaba.org.au
Ph: 040 2597259

What you can do: attend Virtual Inaugural meeting of Immigrants' Memorial Association to be held 19 Oct 08.
What has been done: Protest at Community Cabinet at 12:45PM on Sunday 14 Sep at Belmont State School, Old Cleveland Road, Carindale to protest Minister Paul Lucas's decision to disallow the appeal.

Yungaba Action Group Inc Media Release 10 September 2008

Originally published 2008-09-12 13:25:54 +1000

The recent action by Paul Lucas, Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, in "calling in" the approval process for the redevelopment of the heritage listed "Yungaba" site stands in stark contrast to the action taken by the Government against the owners of "Keating House" another heritage listed building located at Indooroopilly.

While Mr Lucas has effectively removed the proper planning process from the State owned "Yungaba" by the "calling in" of the development application, thus facilitating the redevelopment of the site, the owners of "Keating House" stand to be penalised to the extent of $75,000 for allowing the building to fall into disrepair.

Ms Delene Cuddihy, convenor of the Yungaba Action Group (www.yungaba.org.au) said that Mr. Lucas, by using his "call in" powers and thwarting the normal appeal process, had demonstrated for all to see just how inconsistent and arrogant the Bligh Government had become.

She said "The actions of Mr. Lucas amounted to nothing short of profound hypocrisy and inconsistency and he should reverse his "call in" action if for no other reason than to show that the legal process was not subject to political tampering other than in the most extreme situations e.g. affecting the security of the State.".

Ms Cuddihy said that Yungaba was a State (taxpayer) owned and heritage listed property with a long and rich history of Queensland's past immigration, directly touching many Queensland families. Unfortunately, as the site is located in a well-known prime real estate precinct, it also has enormous speculative potential.

She said that the privately owned "Keating House", came to the attention of Queenslanders only recently, owing to its alleged state of disrepair. Yet, this type of neglect has been allowed to creep in at Yungaba since the sale of the property started looking as a safe bet for Government.

Ms Cuddihy said that large parts of Yungaba have been condemned as unsafe. She asks "How could they let this happen to one of the ten most significant buildings in Queensland history? This is an indictment on their ability to manage Queensland's heritage. I'm sure they won't fine themselves for allowing the building to fall into disrepair."

Ms Cuddihy said the Yungaba Action Group would continue to make representations to the Minister in an effort to save "Yungaba", but suggested the Minister was now expediting the matter, without public consultation, to ensure it was finalised well before the State election.

For further information on the peaceful Public Rally at the Community Cabinet Consultation Meeting on Sunday 14th September, commencing 1.00pm at the Belmont State School, Old Cleveland Road, Carindale

Media contact: Ms Delene Cuddihy on 0402 597 259

#protest" id="protest">Urgent: please attend protest Sunday 14 September

We are inviting you to our protest at the Community Cabinet. The theme of the protest is "Save Yungaba - excise it from the current development application and save it for future generations of Queenslanders".

The protest is about the failure of the State Government to consult with the community on the sale of Yungaba. It has used it's "call in" powers to shut down the YAG appeal to the development.

Here are the details:

Assemble: 12.45pm for a 1.00pm start.

Date: Sunday 14 September, 2008

Venue: outside Community Cabinet at Belmont State School, Old Cleveland Road, Carindale (on your right after Carindale Shopping Centre if you are coming from the city)

Community Cabinet: We will be able to enter the Community Cabinet if we leave any placards outside. Questions will be taken from the floor at the Forum by the Premier. Get your Yungaba questions ready! Following the one hour Forum, there will be informal deputations to ministers for one hour (2.30 - 3.30pm) and this will be followed by formal deputations to ministers. YAG asked to see Minister Lucas, instead we have been given an appointment with his Parliamentary Secretary at 3.30pm.

I do hope you are able to come out and stand up for Yungaba with us.

If you are intending to come, could you give me an indication?

Delene Cuddihy
Yungaba Action Group
Ph 040 259 250 
dc [AT] yungaba org au

12 September 2008