I pulled into a roadside clearing surrounded by tall grass. A stark tree stood near some old stockyards and a locked gate which read “Cubawee, authorised entry only”. This was the place, I had found it. A place once home to many stories – of plentiful turtles and fish, night-time adventures and swings over summertime streams – which today are little more than fond memories.
Formerly known as Tuncester Reserve, Cubawee, which is located roughly 7 kilometres outside of Lismore in northern NSW, was a self-managed Aboriginal settlement from 1932 until 1965. It was a time when segregation was still widely practiced in Australia.
The reserve was renamed Cubawee in 1947 by Frank Roberts – a pastor who was the leader of the community. Cubawee means ‘a place of full and plenty’ in the Bundjalung language and here Aborigines lived a relatively peaceful existence away from white authorities.
While living conditions were meagre, with whole families cuddled up on one bed to keep warm, the people of Cubawee were happy. Former resident Lillian King remembers life was good. There were plenty of turtles, possums, goanna and fish to catch and a big swimming hole she and her family frequented in the summertime. “On the weekends we’d walk along the riverbank collecting lemons and go to the farms and get fruit – the farmers never minded”, she says.
Murray John Roberts Senior, who also grew up in Cubawee says “it was a hard place to live but we swam and hunted and spear-fished and walked to the mountains at night.”
It was a sad time for Cubawee’s 100-plus residents when, in the 1960s, they were told to move on, as floods had allegedly impeded the six-acre area which runs along Leycester Creek. Former resident June Gordon recalls, “our childhoods were spent here and they were the happiest memories of our life.”
I didn’t enter the reserve, as I didn’t have permission from the Ngulingah Local Aboriginal Land Council, which now owns the land. However I did walk a way down the old abandoned Casino-Murwillumbah railway line, which runs along the western side of the reserve. Here I took in the land that was once a sanctuary from racism.
Utility poles lay bent, rusted, the railway overgrown. Although the fields and hills looked inviting and I bet the river – where the people of Cubawee once fished and swam in relative harmony – is a pleasant place to explore.
It’s a very cozy and peaceful place. Hope I can spend there a few days… 🙂
KNOWING THAT I HAVE READ UP ABOUT WHERE MY FATHER ONCE LIVED.
My grandmother Lottie rose king and my mum rhonda king born in 7 may 1959 once lived here my mum won’t say much about the past and my grandmother had already past on before I got to meet her I would love to meet my uncles one day my mum would tell me one story that she slipped in a tree and cut her arm open pretty bad and they covered the cut in clay and how they would spend their days swimming by a river
My Grandfather was Frank Roberts Senior- HIs Father Lyle Roberts Senior cultural man and encouraged language -His three pint plan for the descendent of the Bundjalung sits in a plaque in Lismore – he was a visionary. Cubawee is also home to the First Aboriginal signed to a Olympic Team His name was Frank Roberts- and fought under the name Francis. I work at NORPA and we are developing x 2 theatre projects based on his story and the history of Cubawee.
The Northern Rivers Rail Trail is due to be continued to Lismore from Bentley by the end of 2024. Based on the Casino to Murwillumbah railway, it passes through Cubawee.
I would love to hear from the traditional owners if they want more information.
There should have already been Lismore City Council contact as an adjacent landowner
Hi Andy, I am Robert J Martin and my father owned the property in the photo of the hill. It was separated from Cubawee by the railway line. In the 1950s and 60s our family had many connections with Cubawee, mostly good but there were occasional raids on our corn field in the land of plenty.
I played with some mates from South Lismore public school. the school introduced Aboriginal students in the time is was in primary about 1957 to1961. we had a teacher called Mr Brill who would take us to gym training and helped us a lot. we would ride out to Cubawee and play. I thought it was a tip as fires burned there often. my grandma’s place was at Leycester just up from Cubawee. Hayward.
My mum often had Aboriginal women come to our home in Union St. opposite the railway station.
So, anyway we played together and it was never an issue to be white with my friends who were mostly from the Roberts family. I took photos around there in 1960. I have one showing smoke at Cubawee.