Echoes of Family: Gwenda Farrelly’s reunion story
I was born in Cairns but grew up at Bessie Point with my parents and siblings. Mum and Dad built a house at Bessie Point; I had a happy childhood and attended school in Cairns.
Both my parents, William John Needham Creed and Ada Opal Palmer, were removed and placed into the Yarrabah dormitories as children. Dad in particular, grew up not knowing anything about his family or connections and he never really spoke about his mob or where he came from.
Because Dad never spoke much about his parents, my brother John and I wanted to know more about Dad’s background and connections. I conducted some research and found that his parents names were Timothy Creed and Eulie Annie Hickson and that they may have lived in the Winton area, but we needed to know more and it was not easy to find, so I approached Link-Up (Qld) to see if they could find out more about my grandparents.
Link-Up (Qld) did a good job in providing me with a comprehensive report and family tree about my father’s family and connections, including information on my great grandparents John Richard Creed and Lucy Creed. Lucy was an Aboriginal woman who lived and passed away in Winton, Queensland.
Once my research had been delivered, I decided that I would like to visit the grave of my great grandmother Lucy Creed who, with the help of Link-Up (Qld), I found out was born in Hughenden. Aged only 35 years when she passed, she was buried in the Winton Town Cemetery. I was hoping to find peace by visiting her resting place.
Above: Gwenda Farrelly on her Link-Up (Qld) reunion with her brother John in Winton, Queensland.
I took my brother John with me as a support person on my reunion. We set out from Cairns and flew first to Brisbane, then from Brisbane to Longreach, and Link-Up (Qld) staff drove from Longreach out to the town of Winton, an area that is so old that dinosaur tracks and bones have been found in the area.
“To finally visit the grave of my great grandmother Lucy was emotional for John and I.
We both felt at peace.”
Also, visiting Pelican Waterhole (which was where the original settlement was situated before frequent flooding caused the settlement to move to where current-day Winton is now located), was a highlight.
I’ve felt at peace since visiting the grave of my great grandmother Lucy and a sense of belonging and connection since seeing my family tree and research that was presented by Link-Up (Qld) staff.
Above: Gwenda Farrelly on her Link-Up (Qld) reunion with her brother John and Link-Up (Qld) staff.
I would like to thank the Link-Up (Qld) team who supported John and I on our reunion to Winton – Makaela, Josh and Christine, and also the research team at Link-Up (Qld) who put so much work into such a well-presented family tree and report.
We plan to go back and visit the Winton area, and to keep finding extended family members and connecting with them.
I will be sharing the research with the younger members of my family as they are the future who will keep our family connections strong and spoken about.
Gwenda Farrelly
Published July 2025.
