Affectionately known as ‘Queenie Cain’ or ‘Queen Mary Jane’, Mary Jane Cain was a Gomeroi woman who rose to prominence in the late 1880s when she single-handedly secured a parcel of land for her family at Forky Mountain near Coonabarabran.

This land, and the Aboriginal community that flourished from it, became known as Burra Bee Dee.

Born in 1844 at Toorawandi, Ms Cain passed away in 1929 and was buried in the Burra Dee Dee cemetery.

To commemorate this icon of the local area, the Coonabarabran Local Aboriginal Lands Council (CLALC) had a vision to restore her headstone, and were thrilled to receive around $87,000 in funding from the Office of Heritage and Environment for this goal, as well as a number of other projects at the site.

The cemetery had been damaged through big rainfall events and generally deteriorated over time.

According to the Royal Australian Historical Society, Ms Cain penned a manuscript recounting her life and the history of the Coonabarabran district in 1920.

It concludes with four pages of Gomeroi name meanings - Coonabarabran is “an inquisitive person”, Mudgee “sharpening stone”, Toorawandi “a row of standing stones”, and Burra Bee Dee “flying mice”.

The manuscript, today more than one hundred years old, is a written record ensuring the survival of Mary Jane’s traditional language, just as the land at Forky Mountain ensured the Aboriginal community in the area could live on in peace.

Proposing the project, the CLALC says they wanted to ensure that everyone will be able to recognise Mary Jane Cain’s grave when they walk into the mission cemetery.

“She deserves the recognition after all she was able to achieve for her people,” CLALC chairperson, Naomi Stanton told media at the time.

The design was submitted to CLALC members for ideas and approvals. The restoration is now complete, giving Ms Cain the memorial she deserves.

CLALC CEO, Brandon Nixon, said that the process had been long, but worthwhile.

“Our previous CEO and board members have worked hard in getting this headstone restored,” he said. “After a long process and delays due to the Covid 10 pandemic, it is welcome news that Mary Jane Cains headstone is now complete and will only increase the recognition she deserves.”

In a collective report, the CLALC praised all those involved.

“No project happens without hard work in the background,” they said. “A huge thank you must go to Monique, Naomi, Brandon our previous board and our new board, Elders, members and the community for their support during this process.

“A huge thank you to Steve an Alison at Castlereagh funerals for their hard work to ensure this headstone design and installation was perfect.”