Basque migrants transformed town and left behind heritage handball court
Handball is played in schools all around Australia but this court is different — and the stories it holds led to a heritage listing.
Trebonne, a town outside Ingham in north Queensland, Australia, was once the epicentre of Basque civilisation in the region. Basque workers, brought to Australia in the 1950s to save the sugar industry during labour shortages, played a crucial role in transforming Trebonne. A heritage-listed handball court, where they played pelota mano, remains a significant cultural landmark.
Marie-V Wherry, a Basque woman from Trebonne, fondly recalls the court as the heart of the community. The court, along with the town's other businesses, thrived in those days, hosting various activities. However, the introduction of mechanical harvesters in the 1970s led to the decline of the Basque community, and the handball court eventually fell into disrepair.
Despite this, the town has seen a renewed interest in Basque culture, thanks to the unique mural on the court and the growing number of young people showing interest in the Basque heritage. Today, Trebonne is a shadow of its former self, but the Basque community remains vital due to the younger generation's growing interest in their history and culture.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
