Reunion Story: David Wragge
In October 2020, my younger brother Michael and I departed Brisbane with Link-Up (Qld) Caseworker, Sloane Stallan and Service Delivery Manager Joshua Thompson (who was flying in from Cairns), to return to our Grandmother’s Country, located at Lawn Hill Station.
Our Granny, Annie Shadforth/ Shadford, was born at Lawn Hill Station in 1899 and was the daughter of Ida and Ernest H. Shadforth (a non-Indigenous man from Wangaratta in Victoria). When Granny was sixteen, she was detained and relocated from Bowen to Barambah Aboriginal Settlement, now called Cherbourg.
Our Granny married our Grandfather Nugent Wragge, a Wakka Wakka man, at Cherbourg. They had three children: our Uncle Henry Shadford (the eldest child), our Father, Leslie Morris Wragge and our Aunt, Emily Wragge.
Our father always dreamed of travelling back to his mother’s country but unfortunately, he never had the chance to do so before he passed in 2007.
For Michael and I, it was a special journey to take our father’s spirit with us when we entered our Granny’s country at Lawn Hill Station.
Before we departed from Mt Isa, we were fortunate enough to run into our baby sister, Anita Leedie, who had been sent to Mt Isa with her work with Aboriginal Hostels and we were able to brief her about our planned journey to Lawn Hill Station.
Upon our arrival at Gregory, we met with Gordon Douglas and Henry Barry from Doomadgee and we exchanged stories of our lives and relationship to Lawn Hill Station (through our Granny, Annie Shadford). Gordon and Henry agreed to meet us the next day at Adels Grove on our way to Lawn Hill Station.
After arriving at Adels Grove and enjoying the hospitality on offer, Gordon and Henry asked if we would like to visit two gravesites at Riversleigh, which was a part of the Shadforth’s family history. Gordon and Henry showed us the two gravesites which were a short distance from the Gregory River. Michael and I walked to the edge of the crossing and reflected on the memories of our father and how special our trip had been for us and to think about our Granny and her connection to this special place.
I had a calm and serene feeling as we paused and thought about our father’s connection to this land.
When we got back to our motel room, I spoke to Michael about our connection to Borroloola and our sister Anita, who had advised that our family connections at Borroloola, were waiting for my brothers and I to come and join them for ceremony there. We would like to thank the Link-Up (Qld) team, Sloane and Josh for their assistance and support with connecting us to family and country. The journey was certainly a memorable one and has only just started.
David Wragge
Published March 2021.