Jack MartinPrint Page

The sports complex commemorates Jack Martin (1927 - 1983), an indigenous man who assisted aboriginal people in the community.  The complex was renovated and upgraded after years of neglect and reopened in 2014. 

In the 1980s our late Uncle Darby McCarthy OAM travelled to Canberra and met with the late Charles Perkins, then-Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. Darby lobbied the Federal Department for a community centre and base, a space for recreation and cultural activities for the local community. In 1988 the building and land was transferred into the ownership of the Toowoomba community. The centre was named after the late Uncle Jack Martin (John Martin 1927-1983). Uncle Jack was the eldest of 8 children, was a self-educated man who spent most of his childhood on the fringe-dweller reserve, Cunnamulla. Uncle Jack married Aunty Zona Leslie in 1953 and together they had a large family of 11 Children. Jack worked on the railways with Queensland Rail.

As his family grew they decided to move to Toowoomba, where Uncle Jack became more involved with Aboriginal rights, firstly attending meetings at the Opal Centre in Brisbane. It was initially from these meetings that priority was given to the establishment of Aboriginal Legal Services and Health Services and to force the Federal Government and Australian community as a whole to confront the continuing injustices effecting Aborigines and Islanders. Jack began working on a voluntary basis assisting Aboriginal people with any problems they were encountering. Uncle Jack and Aunty Zona back veranda become a vocal point for any person seeking any form of assistance with housing, education, welfare, legal or social matters. In 2011 The Toowoomba Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sporting and Community Association (TASCA) trading as the Jack Martin Centre was formed. This centre has been a focal gathering point for community ever since. The Jack Martin Centre is now also home to a number of user groups such as Newtown Lions Junior and Senior rugby league clubs, darts, and boxing. Our future is bright and the board will continue to work hard in ensuring this venue is around for the our future generations.
Lisa Goodman, Facebook, Jack Martin Centre, 31 January 2021. 

 

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