The Our Aunties and Uncles Digital Stories Project was supported through funding from the Australian Government's Your Community Heritage Program.
The project recorded the stories of four significant Elders in Logan, in their own voices. The Elders were selected through consultation with the Nyeumba Meta Advisory Group. The stories of Aunty Eileen Williams, Aunty Robyn Williams, Uncle Reg Knox and Aunty Flora Cook were filmed and recorded during 2013.
Aunty Eileen and Aunty Robyn Williams
Eileen and Robyn Williams are Yugambeh Elders who live in Logan City. They are Yugambeh Traditional Owners and descendants of Bilin Bilin, known as King of the Logan. They grew up in Mount Gravatt, Brisbane with their sister Loris and three brothers.
Aunty Loris Williams was a well-known advocate for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to use archives to connect with their families, country and Indigenous identity.
The sisters speak the Yugambeh language (please see the Indigenous Languages Map of Queensland). During Aunty Eileen's teaching career, she taught the Yugambeh language in local schools. Aunty Robyn is also an educator and works on many homework programs in Logan primary schools. Education and the attainment of knowledge is an over-arching theme for the Williams family.
Aunty Eileen passed away in September 2020. Her sister, Aunty Robyn Williams, has given her support for the library’s stories to stay in the public domain.
Uncle Reg has received numerous awards over the years, including:
the Quiet Achievers Award
the Arts Award in 1999
Logan City Citizen of the Year in 2000
the 2009 NAIDOC award for Aboriginal Elder of the Year
mention in the Australia Day Awards in 2010 in recognition of his community work and promotion and enhancement of educational and vocational opportunities for young people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
Uncle Reg was inducted into Logan's Wall of Acclaim in 2004.
Uncle Reg passed away in April 2020. His daughter, Missy Knox, and his wife Beverley, have given their support for the library’s stories and collections of Uncle Reg to stay in the public domain.
For more information about Uncle Reg, read the Griffith University article Mr Reginald Knox.
Aunty Flora Cook was a Torres Strait Islander who was born on Thursday Island. She traced her roots to Erub (Darnley Island), where her parents were born. As eldest of five children, Aunty Flora had two brothers and two sisters.
Aunty Flora first moved to Brisbane from the Torres Strait to train as a kindergarten teacher. She returned to Thursday Island and taught there for 10 years. During the 1980s, she moved to Logan.
Aunty Flora was passionate about the preservation and promotion of the history and cultural heritage of Torres Strait Islander people. Her lifetime achievement was performing and teaching traditional dance and song.
She taught these songs and dances in many local schools in the Logan area and all over Brisbane. She was a member of the Brisbane dance and song group, Keriba Mabaigal, which shares Torres Strait Islander culture, language and heritage.
Aunty Flora shared Torres Strait culture with young people by teaching traditional weaving, beading and lei-making.
Aunty Flora passed away in March 2021. Her family has given their support for the library’s stories of Aunty Flora to stay in the public domain.
More information on the Torres Strait Islands can be found: