The Manunka Mission was established by the missionary Mrs Janet Matthews in 1901 on 40 acres of land along the banks of the Murray River near Mannum. The Mission also operated as a ration station distributing Government supplied food, medicines and materials to some local Aboriginal people. The government provided funds to the Mission of approximately £200 per year, and it received some subscriptions from the public. The Mission's residents also helped to support the Mission with basket making, 'rush-work' and by working on farms in the local area. By 1909 it was reported that 40 or 50 Aboriginal people were living at the Mission. Mrs Matthews ran a day school for Aboriginal children and a dormitory was planned. The Mission closed in 1916. Many families who resided at the Manunka Mission later moved to the Swan Reach Mission and then onto Gerard Mission. The ration depot at Manunka continued to operate into the 1930s.
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Last updated:
07 December 2021
Cite this: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/sa/SE01334
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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