About Us
The Cairns and District Chinese Association (CADCAI) is a vibrant community arts and heritage organisation. It has played a pivotal role in presenting Chinese culture and heritage activities since its establishment in 1978. CADCAI has operated as an incorporated not-for-profit organisation since 1986, and is overseen by a volunteer management committee. CADCAI is now registered with the Australian Charities & Not-for-profit Commission with DGR status, meaning donations to the charity are tax deductible.
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CADCAI is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. All donations are tax deductible.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to inspire present and future generations to celebrate and value North Queensland’s distinctive Chinese history, objects, performance and stories’.
CADCAI is custodian of one of the nation’s hidden treasures, the Cairns Lit Sung Goong (LSG) Temple collection. This nationally significant collection of over 250 artefacts came from the Chinese temple which operated in Cairns from 1887 and 1966. The collection is an outstanding example of the material culture of Chinese Australian religious practices, and one of the few tangible links to a growing Chinese community more than a century ago.
The collection is also material evidence of the important role Chinese migrants played in the region’s development. Establishment of the proposed Cairns Chinese Culture and Heritage Centre will provide for the important professional preservation, storage and public exhibition of this collection.
CADCAI volunteers also organise the annual Cairns Chinese Lunar Year Festival, a major event attended by up to 20,000 visitors and offer regular classes in Chinese performing arts such as lion, dragon and traditonal dance, drumming, and Chinese language.​
