Yaroma StoryPrint Page

The ceramic mosaic commemorates the original Moreton Bay Fig tree, a local icon 40 metres high with a 2 metre trunk that was once part of a dense rainforest. The location was also an important Aboriginal site, a birthing tree, a food gathering site, a meeting place, a shelter for the homeless and an embodiment of the Yaroma story.

The art work was a reconciliation project for the 30th anniversary of the recognition of Aboriginal citizenship in 1967. 

On 27 May 1967, the Australian Government held a referendum. This was a momentous turning point in Australian history. The 1967 referendum altered the Australian Constitution. More than 90 per cent of Australian voters chose ‘Yes’ to count Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the census and give the Australian Government the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Before 1967, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples did not have the same rights as other Australians under the Australian Constitution. Many aspects of their lives were controlled by the state governments, including the right to: • Vote in state elections • Marry whomever they chose • Move to wherever they chose • Own property wherever they chose • Be the legal guardian of their own children • Receive the same pay for the same work •Drink alcohol. 

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Dedication