The Mareeba Lost Stories Project is an initiative dedicated to preserving the immigrant stories of Mareeba’s vast multi-cultural immigrant community. These testimonies illustrate the struggles, dreams and accomplishments of immigrants so that future generations may learn from their collective experience. Launched in 2017, the Lost Stories of Mareeba project was led by Angela Musumeci and former Operations Manager Janet Greenwood. Together they have documented the stories of 22 immigrants who arrived from countries around the world. These are real stories of men, women and children who have sacrificed to become Mareeba-ites by choice.
All those involved in developing this project have used their expert skills, resources and hours of in-kind support to bring the power of these stories to the public. This first series records the stories of 22 courageous Mareeba residents who have trusted us to record and share their personal stories with the wider Mareeba community. During this project we had the opportunity to meet with many of our immigrants, from all walks of life, and found a common thread among the immigrants who shared their stories. Regardless of where they are born, the great majority are hardworking people with a burning desire to succeed and provide for their families. They truly embody the Mareeba community spirit, and collectively, theirs is the quintessential Mareeba story.
Mareeba is an incredible multi-cultural immigrant community and is home to people from some 64 different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. The Lost Stories of Mareeba Project’s mission is to record, archive and share the stories of immigrants to Mareeba to help us understand their experiences and vital contribution to our community. Our growing archive will ensure that the faces and voices of immigrants are seen and heard, not only collectively, but individually, and in so doing, will help us showcase our multicultural community and conserve our immigration history. The first series of this project shares 22 personal migrant stories.
The content of the immigrant stories is hosted and shared via the Mareeba Heritage Centre website, exhibit in the Museum and a variety of social media tools. This series was produced by Warren Thomson (Ventures Online), Al Kirton (NQ Radio), Mick Hay (Mareeba 4AM Innisfail 4KZ). The Mareeba Heritage Centre’s team for this project consisted of Janet Greenwood, Angela Musumeci and Maryjane Musumeci. Lost Stories of Mareeba is brought to you by the Mareeba Heritage Centre, with support from the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Mareeba Shire Council.
© Mareeba Heritage Museum and Visitor Information Centre 2024
