A key moment in colonial Queensland’s history will be remembered Monday, 13 September, as Toowoomba residents stop to mark the 178^th Anniversary of the Battle of Meewah (formerly called One Tree Hill) on the Darling Downs. “While the actual battle was fought over two days the event symbolizes more than five years of a fierce resistance campaign led by local Warrior Multuggerah,” stated Dr Mark Copland, one of the organisers and member of the group, Friends of Multuggerah.

“As organisers we believe that the courage and resilience and leadership and tactics of Multuggerah and his fighters deserve to be remembered as part of our local shared history and indeed the history of the state of Queensland.  The story of the Battle of Meewah is just one of many across our nation representing resistance and love of country.” This year Ms Lynda Maybanks, Managing Director of Wirrinyah Pty Ltd, will be the guest speaker.  Wirrinyah have recently been conducting a cultural burn of Meewah (Mt Tabletop).  Children from local schools have crafted Desert Pea momentos to give out at the commemoration. The Desert Pea is a symbol of love and loss, of blood spilt on the soil of this country in frontier wars. The children from Fairholme College will also lay a wreath to remember the lives lost on the Queensland frontier. The children from Good Samaritan School will share their learning from a recent unit of study on Multuggerah.

This year, too, members of the Army Reserve, of the 25^th/49^th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment will lay a wreath, honouring Multuggerah and his mob’s defence of home. It is anticipated, too, that a crew filming a documentary about Frontier Wars will be present.