The Department of Resources has announced that a previously unnamed creek at Gympie is to be named after Uncle Jimmy, a local First Nations horseman from the city’s gold rush days in the mid-19th century.
Minister for Resources, Scott Stewart said the local community supported the name for the creek, which flows into the larger Glastonbury Creek.
“I applaud the Gympie Regional Council for putting forward the suggestion for the naming of the creek,” Mr Stewart said.
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Craig Crawford said recognising the history of First Nations people was important.
“The newly-named Uncle Jimmys Creek is a great example of our work on the Path to Treaty,” Mr Crawford said.
“It demonstrates our Government’s commitment to truth-telling and reconciliation.”
Mayor of Gympie Regional Council, Glen Hartwig said the naming recognised the rich history of the area’s First Nations people.
“Like many parts of Australia, the Gympie region has a long and storied history with the traditional custodians who deserve to be recognised for their contributions to our community,” Mr Hartwig said.
Jimmy was employed by Thomas Betts, the first European settler of the Glastonbury region in 1869. He also worked at the Glastonbury Inn, which was held under licence by Mr Betts at the time.
He was known to camp beside the creek that ran through the property of Mr Betts.
The inclusion of ‘Uncle’ was proposed by the Gympie Regional Council as a sign of respect and to indicate that Jimmy was a First Nations man.
The creek begins in the Glastonbury State Forest area, before continuing for 4.2 kilometres in a north-east direction across multiple properties.
