ABORIGINAL BACKGROUND
Historically, the district was originally inhabited by Aboriginal people whom European settlers named the Jagara people.
The Jagara people were forced off their lands to make way for colonizing settlers. As in other parts of Australia, this was deeply traumatic for the Aboriginal communities involved and there is a legacy of loss and dispossession within the Brisbane South West Neighbouring Communities that still needs to be acknowledged in the mainstream communities.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population increased greatly throughout the 1960's-80's when many people forced off Missions and Reserves in Regional Queensland joined family and friends in the corridor of Brisbane stretching from Ipswich to Acacia Ridge. Today, the Brisbane South West Neighbouring Communities are home to one of Brisbane's highest percentages of people identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.
The Inala Elders provide strength and focus for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities locally. They work actively with local organizations to support community members and promote community development goals.
The Brisbane district known as the Brisbane South West Neighbouring Communities is made up of fourteen suburbs: Acacia Ridge, Archerfield, Carole Park, Darra, Doolandella, Durack, Ellen Grove, Forest Lake, Inala, Oxley, Pallara, Richlands, Wacol and Willawong. The Brisbane South West Neighbouring Communities are located between Brisbane City and the Western City of Ipswich with Inala 15kms South of Brisbane and 20kms east of Ipswich. The Communities sit on the boundary of the Brisbane and Ipswich City Local Government areas and are bound by the Brisbane River in the west, the Ipswich Motorway in the north, the Logan Motorway in the south and Beaudesert Road in the east, although Oxley, Carole Park and Acacia Ridge spread beyond these artificial borders.
Population is over 65,500 - ref. ABS 2008 - many of whom are immigrants and refugees.
A great strength of these Communities is the range of excellent human service agencies working within and outreaching to them, with the largest cluster of these available in Inala which sits at the Geographic centre. There is considerable collaboration within the Communities between Human Service Organizations and Interagency Network Groups and a number of Organizations work in partnership to achieve more positive outcomes for the benefit of the Communities.
The Brisbane South West Neighbouring Communities have a unique cultural heritage and even though there are many challenges, there is a strong sense of pride, loyalty and community spirit that are assets being built on by local service providers.