Mapoon on western Cape York has unveiled a new church, the first in the community since the old mission was destroyed under orders of the Queensland government in 1963.
The new $1.6 million building was opened with a special blessing ceremony attended by a congregation of about 200 worshippers.
Mayor Aileen Addo said she hoped the new house of worship would help heal wounds of the past and guide a stronger future for the community.
"There was trauma in the past and maybe some of those traumas still linger on, so the church will play a big part in getting this community together but also providing the spiritual guidance that I think lacks in this community," she said.
Why was Mapoon razed?
The old church was built in the early 1900s by Christian missionaries who brought a new religion to an ancient people.
But in 1963 the Nicklin government ordered its closure. Those who wanted to remain were forcibly removed by police, who then set fire to the community.
Brothers Herbert and Frank Asai were just children when they were forced from their homeland and still remember the traumatic event.
The reasons for the mission's closure are still contested to this day.
"They said it was water pollution, that the water was awful and the place wasn't suitable for us, so we got removed out," Frank said.
"We lived off spring water wells … we'd go hunting, we lived off the land … we were happy in them days."
Ricky Guivarra remembers the stories his great aunt told about the forced removal.
"It was a horror for those remaining, to be tipped out of their houses and their homes set alight," he said.
As Mapoon's resident historian, Mr Guivarra has collected correspondence from the time and is adamant the mission's closure had little to do with the peoples' welfare.
He believes it was about access to the area's rich bauxite reserves.
"We copied various documents which denote infrastructure coming out from Mapoon, out from [Cullen] Point, wharves and the like," Mr Guivarra said.
"There was a real intent at the time of building a port here for the export of bauxite but it never happened, they chose Weipa over Mapoon in the end."
Community rises from the ashes but one thing always missing
Many of the Mapoon people were sent north to Bamaga and settled in New Mapoon, but others were dispersed across north Queensland to towns including Normanton, Mareeba and Cairns.
Some began returning to the area in the mid-1970s to rebuild the community, which now has a population of about 300 residents.
But like many elders over that time, the Asai brothers felt there has always been something missing in Mapoon.
Both were baptised in the old church and have longed to see a new one built in its place.
"I've always said 'they're building all these new homes, what about a church?'" Herbert said.
More than just a building
Edna Mark was removed from her family in Mapoon as a four-year-old and sent to Stanthorpe in the state's southern reaches.
She had the honour of opening the new building which will see an end to religious services being held in makeshift venues such as the sport and recreation hall.
"We need to have a proper place for baptisms, weddings," she said.
As part of the Western Capes Community Coexistence Agreement (WCCCA), a group representing traditional owners to distribute mining royalties, she has lobbied for a church for 20 years.
"A church is just a building, but you need to have a special place where people can congregate and share their feelings, know there's a spiritual presence there that can help our people," she said.
While the old church was destroyed by an act of government, WCCCA funded the entire $1.6 million build after the Queensland government rejected an invitation to contribute.
Mapoon's ministerial champion Mark Furner, who was at the church opening, said the state does not fund the building of churches but has helped rebuild Mapoon through investments in housing and other infrastructure.
