When Karen Wallwork announced her second book of Beachmere's collective memory, "Beachmere Revisited", was to be the last of the Beachmere collective memory books, no one believed her. This, her third book in the series, reinforces the community's belief in her commitment to revealing the town's past, a commitment that resulted in a nomination for Queensland Library's Community History Awards 2024.
From uncovering the probable original name of Beachmere, "Gibunba - Place of the Moon", to creating a timeline of memories and traditions that span over 60,000 years of communal life in this small coastal town, it draws together the threads of the first two books, "Beachmere - Then and Now" and "Beachmere Revisited".
Driven by rigorous research practices, she painstakingly re-evaluated her own previous work, delving deep into archives. In her quest for these lost community memories, she reached out to local Indigenous Elders and consulted with renowned researchers and archaeologists, eager to learn from their expertise. Every story uncovered is treated with respect and sensitivity, following Karen's personal research protocol, and prioritising cultural awareness.
Karen's intention for "Beachmere - Digging Deeper" is to re-ignite the embers of memory and bring local Indigenous stories and lived experiences back into our 'knowing' so they may, once again, be part of the combined collective memory Beachmere/Gibunba-Place of the Moon: the place that the Beachmere community calls 'home'.
A worthwhile addition to your library and a must for those who already have the first two books in the series.