Southern Gulf Parish

Southern Gulf Parish

This area was first explored by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1844 when he travelled through the Gulf country on his way to Arnhem Land from the Darling Downs. He camped to the north of the present town of Normanton. Burke and Wills also travelled through the region in 1861 as did the search parties for the "lost" expedition. These search parties were headed by Frederick Walker and William Landsborough. A sea going search for Burke and Wills expedition also took place and this was headed by Captain W H Norman on the HMCS Victoria. It is after Captain Norman that the township and river on which it is situated were named.

Although some 80kms from the sea the town became a major port for the surrounding cattle country and during the 1880's also for the goldfields further inland at Croydon (151kms) and the silver and copper mines in Cloncurry further to the south. Normanton
is the central town of the Gulf Savannah placed on a gravel ridge running the edge of the savannah grasslands to the west and the wetlands to the east.

Normanton itself is a sprawling town of some 1500 souls of whom the greater proportion are indigenous Australians. Despite its remoteness the town has most of the usual shops but with the major exception of a chemist and until now the doctor, who is about to leave the town did maintain a small range of chemist lines as well as prescription medicines.

There has been a lot of building activity in the town over the past months ~ a sporting complex, a new and higher water storage tower which has improved the towns water pressure! The army has been building quarters for personnel that will be stationed in the town as part of the Australian Coastal Surveillance network.

The area is ministered to by Rev Vic & Mrs Doreen McNamara. Vic & Doreen are from Toowoomba where they did most of their growing up. They have 5 children, Angela, married to Cameron, Andrew, Wendy, married to Scott and twins Kirsty & Timothy. They have 3 grandchildren, Aleisha, Jasmine & Joanne. Vic’s previous parishes have been at Jandowae, Murgon, Gympie & Cunnamulla. They have been in Normanton since July 1996.

Their ministry in the area is to a widely scattered flock who live in the Gulf. This is mainly centred around the towns of Normanton, Croydon, Georgetown, Burketown, Doomadgee, Forsyth, Einasleigh, Karumba, and all the districts in between. This means that contact with the various congregations is not as frequent as would be liked particularly in the wet season. Vic and Doreen teach Scripture at the local State school which caters for children to year 10 (age 16/17) and this can be frustrating at times when they see so many children missing from school, day in day out, as it has a high truancy rate.

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