Mackay and District Australian South Sea Islander Association (MADASSIA)
– Pam Viti-Tomarra
The Mackay and District Australian South Sea Islander Association (MADASSIA) is focussed on “the well-being of the Australian South Sea Islander people in the Mackay area”. Australian South Sea islanders are the descendants of people from Pacific islands (mostly Vanuatu and the Solomon Island) brought to Queensland between 1863 and 1904 as indentured labourers in the sugar cane industry. Australian South Sea Islanders have been officially recognised by both the Queensland and the federal governments as a distinct cultural group since the 1990s.
MADASSIA’s objectives are to:
- provide information to their community;
- advise Government and other groups on the needs of Australian South Sea Islanders;
- lobby Government and other groups to improve their people’s situation;
- provide services for Australian South Sea Islanders;
- be a channel for funding for Australian South Sea Islander projects in the Mackay region;
- educate the broader community about the culture and needs of Australian South Sea Islanders; and
- preserve, protect and support South Sea Islander culture, heritage and significant sites.
