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Records of Aboriginal Missions in South Australia

The collection Records of Aboriginal Missions in South Australia includes resources relating to the history of Aboriginal missions in South Australia including records created by these Missions. There is a finding aid for these records available online. Access Conditions For access to these records please contact the State Library of South Australia. Researchers can have…

Point McLeay Mission Station

The Point McLeay Mission Station was established at lake Alexandrina by the Aborigines’ Friends’ Association in 1859. Dormitories were set up at the Mission for orphan Aboriginal children. When Poonindie Mission closed in 1894 some families were transferred to Point McLeay. The State Government took control of the Mission in 1916 and the dormitories were…

Yalata Mission

The Yalata Mission was established in 1954 by the Lutheran Church on a government Aboriginal reserve 130 miles west of Ceduna. Aboriginal people from Maralinga and the Ooldea Mission had been brought to the area in 1952. The Mission operated a school and other facilities for the residents of the reserve. In 1974 the Yalata…

Swan Reach Mission

The Swan Reach Mission was established by the United Aborigines Mission [UAM] at Swan Reach in 1926. A rented cottage was used as the Mission House and a school opened at the Mission in early 1926 to provide Christian education to local Aboriginal children. The site at Swan Reach was prone to flooding and permanent…

Nepabunna Mission

The Nepabunna Mission was established by the United Aborigines’ Mission (UAM) in north-east South Australia in 1931. The Missionaries assisted with housing, schooling, health and other facilities at the Mission. A dormitory for Aboriginal children was constructed at Nepabunna early in the 1940s but was not used for several years. The State Government took control…

Ernabella Mission

The Ernabella Mission was established by the Presbyterian Church in the Musgrave Ranges of north-west South Australia in 1937. A school operated at the Mission. In 1970 the State Government took administrative control of the Mission and in 1972 this transferred to the Commonwealth Government. In 1974 the administration of Ernabella Mission passed to the…

Kali Cottage

Kali Cottage was opened by the government in Westbourne Park in the former premises of the Kali Boy’s Hostel. It operated as a cottage home for a small number of children. Kali Cottage closed in 1977 when the government decided that its location was not suitable.

Rescued Sisters’ Home

The Rescued Sisters’ Home was opened by the Salvation Army on the corner of King William Street and South Terrace in 1890. It operated as a rescue home for destitute women and girls. From 1893 it operated in conjunction with the Adelaide Maternity Home. The Rescued Sisters’ Home closed in 1899 when the Salvation Army…

Select Committee of the Legislative Council on the Destitute Poor, South Australia

The Select Committee of the Legislative Council on the Destitute Poor was appointed by the Government in 1867 to enquire into the management of the Destitute Asylum and the Brighton Industrial School at the old Grace Darling Hotel. The Committee produced a report in October 1867 which was highly critical of the inadequate temporary accommodations…

Freedom of Information Act 1991, South Australia

The Freedom of Information Act 1991 (Act No. 201991) was assented to on 18 April 1991 and commenced on 1 January 1992. The Act regulates access to documents held by the State Government and local councils. The act gives individuals the right to apply for access to documents held by these bodies. This includes access…