Elder Marjorie Burns: Memories of Resilience and Heritage

Elder Marjorie Burns shares a poignant story of her childhood on Palm Island. Her memories are woven with threads of resilience and cultural heritage, set against the backdrop of a challenging era. Marjorie recalls her mother's desire to play rather than learn her language, a choice she later regretted: "She said, I should have listened to my mother at that time." This sentiment echoes the loss of cultural knowledge that many Aboriginal families experienced.

Marjorie's grandfather, Alf Palmer, was a remarkable man, capable of speaking seven languages. He was taken from his parents, a common and painful history among Aboriginal people. Marjorie walks on his country, feeling the weight of his legacy: "This is his country that I'm walking on."

Growing up in the 1960s, Marjorie describes the racial segregation that marked her school days. "It was white man law," she recalls, where even the use of toilets was divided by color. This systemic injustice is a wound that many in her community still carry, yet Marjorie’s story is not without hope. She fondly remembers her grandmother, Lizzie Palmer, and the way her spirit seems to linger in the land: "There was an old photo of my granny... cleaning a goana on Palm Island."

Despite the hardships, Marjorie speaks with a sense of belonging and connection to her family and heritage, wishing her grandparents were still around to share more stories. The resilience of her ancestors is a source of strength and pride, and Marjorie’s story is a testament to the enduring spirit of the Palm Island community.