Margaret Kay facts for kids

Margaret Kay (born around 1904, died November 5, 1967) was an amazing Aboriginal Australian woman. She owned a special museum and looked after a very important sacred place. Because of her hard work, this sacred place was officially protected and later became part of a national park.

Margaret Kay's Early Life

Margaret Kay was born near the Richmond River in a place called Broadwater, New South Wales. Her mother was from the Minyangbal community. When Margaret was only ten years old, she and her brother were taken from their family. This was done by the Aboriginal Protection Board, a government group that made decisions about Aboriginal people's lives. They were sent to a home in Parramatta, near Sydney.

Working Life and Retirement

After leaving the home, Margaret started working as a domestic helper for a family named Arthur. This meant she helped with housework and other tasks. She worked for them for many years, starting around 1918. First, she worked in Sydney, and then from about 1930, she moved with the family to Queensland. They lived on a large farm, called a station, near Julia Creek.

Margaret worked for the Arthur family until the late 1950s. When Mrs. Arthur passed away in 1948, Margaret received £50 from her will. In the late 1950s, Margaret retired from her job. She then bought her own house in Tweed Heads, which is on the northern coast of New South Wales.

Protecting a Sacred Aboriginal Site

After moving to Tweed Heads, Margaret found a special place called a bora ring. Her relatives had shown her this site before. A bora ring is a traditional meeting place used by Aboriginal people for important ceremonies. This particular site was very old and had become overgrown with plants. Its important mounds were also starting to wear away.

Restoring and Preserving the Site

Margaret took it upon herself to clear the plants and carefully restore the bora ring. She also fixed a traditional well nearby. She worked hard to convince the local council, the Tweed Shire Council, to protect this area. Her efforts were successful! In 1961, the site was officially declared a Nature Reserve. This was for "the Preservation of Aboriginal Relics," which was quite unusual at that time. Most people were not focused on saving Aboriginal sites back then.

Sharing Knowledge with Others

Margaret was passionate about sharing the history and meaning of the site. She often led tours for school students, explaining its importance. Later, in 1980, the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service took over managing the site. It was then declared a Historic Site, recognizing its special value.

In 2011, fifty years after the site was first protected, the Senate of Australia (which is part of the Australian government) officially recognized Margaret Kay's amazing work. They praised her for helping to save Aboriginal heritage when it was not a common thing to do.

Margaret Kay's Aboriginal Museum

Besides protecting the sacred site, Margaret Kay also collected many Aboriginal artifacts. These are items made by Aboriginal people, often with cultural or historical significance. She displayed these artifacts in her own home, turning it into a small Aboriginal museum.

Margaret's Own Art

Margaret was also an artist herself. She created beautiful sand art in bottles, using different colors. She also enjoyed crocheting, sewing, painting, and drawing.

Towards the end of her life, Margaret took part in an important event. She attended the opening ceremony of the Opal Hostel for Aborigines in Brisbane. At this event, she presented an official gift to Sir Henry Abel Smith, who was the governor of Queensland at the time.

Margaret Kay passed away on November 5, 1967, in Murwillumbah hospital. Even though she did not leave a will, a local group called the Lower Tweed River Historical Society was able to buy her collection of artifacts. Some of Margaret Kay's artworks are now kept at the Minjungbal Resource Museum, where people can still see them today.