Who we are

Friends of Peel Island Association (FoPIA) is a community support group for Peel Island, one of the beautiful islands in the Moreton Bay Marine Park east of Brisbane.

Working in conjunction with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service who manage the island, FoPIA is active in raising the awareness of Peel Island’s cultural and natural heritage values, helping conserve heritage buildings and provide access to the island for interpretive activities.

How did we begin?

Peel Island is a museum: to the Aborigines who used the island as a feasting and ceremonial place for countless centuries; to the early European immigrants, many of whom spent up to three months in quarantine on the island: and to the leprosy patients of many races - notably Caucasians, Chinese, South Sea Islanders, and Aborigines - who spent their lives in isolation at the island's Lazaret.

In 1993 the Australian Commonwealth granted $230,000 towards the conservation and restoration of Peel Island's heritage. This money was used to formulate a Conservation Plan and to help stabilise some of the Lazaret's buildings from the ravages of time.

With this money spent long ago, the need for further funding is acute. With Government funding cutbacks to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, the island's present controllers, and with no decision in sight on the Native Title Claim on the island, there seems little prospect of any immediate injection of much needed funds.

In 1999 a group diploma students from the Moreton Institute of TAFE researched and produced a Conservation Plan for Peel's quarantine area. Their enthusiasm for the conservation of Peel was infectious and it was decided to form an independent group to apply for funding to carry on the restoration work of the 1993 Conservation plan.

Consequently, in November 1999, the Friends of Peel Island Group was formed and membership is available to all.

^top

Aims

1. To encourage and assist in the maintenance, conservation, and preservation of the historical and environmental values of Peel Island.
   
2. To work in co-operation with and under the guidance of the relevant Government agencies.
   
3. To raise public awareness, by all means, in the historical and environmental values of Peel Island.
   
4. To recognise and respect the indigenous cultural heritage of Peel Island and enhance the general community's understanding of the same.
   
5. To encourage the active participation of the public in the maintenance, conservation, and preservation of the historical and environmental values of Peel Island.
   
6. To encourage financial support for the maintenance, conservation, and preservation of the historical and environmental values of Peel Island.
   
7. To facilitate the education of students and community groups in the maintenance, conservation, and preservation of the historical and environmental values of Peel Island.

^top

What we do

• Monthly meeting with guest speakers and updates on projects
• Help the QPWS staff with conservation and maintenance work on the island
• Organise activities to provide information and interpretation to the community of the island’s history <<Calendar of activities>>
• Promote the island’s heritage at family history events around Brisbane and Moreton Bay
• Write articles about the island and our activities for local newspapers, and maintain a monthly <<newsletter>> [new page to current newsletter, and archived old copies]
• Maintain this website to provide easier access for the community to information on the island’s fascinating history, culture and ecology.
• Apply for grants for special projects

^top

Membership

Benefits

• You'll be part of a vibrant group making a positive contribution the conservation of Peel Island 's unique heritage and environmental values.
• Members Only invitations to stay overnight on Peel Island, in exchange for help to lend a hand with important conservation and maintenance initiatives.
• Receive advance notice of FOPIA events including boat trips, guest speakers, and tours of Peel Island 's heritage sites.
• Free copy of the Bay Flier our quarterly newsletter including improtant dates, and snippets of information uncovered by our intrepid historical researcher and editor Rhonda Bryce.

Download membership form

^top