Croker Island

Audio testimony of Harold Gurber, removed to Croker Island at 5 years old: http://stolengenerationstestimonies.com/index.php/testimonies/1019.html ; Clairey Henty-Gebert, Paint me Black: Memories of Croker Island and other Journeys: http://aiatsis.gov.au/publications/products/paint-me-black-memories-croker-island-and-other-journey… ; for an Indigenous account of the exodus, see Clare Henty-Gilbert, Crossing the Continent-My Memories, Perspective 18, no. 2 (1995) 19-24 ; see also Robert Randall, Songman, 43-75

-11.148648, 132.575837

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from across the Northern Territory were forcibly removed to Croker Island . During World War II, following an air raid on Darwin, staff were ordered to evacuate, while the children were required to stay. Eventually, all the residents were able to leave . Former residents say that Croker Island often inflicted severe punishments in order to assimilate the children: "They just kept on flogging you, I don't know why. It seemed as though they had a joy to beat the living daylights out of you, to almost kill you. When you're nearly half dead then they'd stop beating you. I don't think the punishment and the crime that was committed was - we were only playing dodge the spear. We played it many, many times we'd played that game" .

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Established in 1940 by the Methodist Overseas Mission, closed in 1968.

Croker Island Mission

Noah Riseman, 'Disrupting Assimilation: Soldiers, Missionaries and Aboriginal People in Arnhem Land During World War II' in Amanada Barry, Joanna Cruickshank, Andrew Brown-May (eds), Evangelists of Empire?: Missionaries in Colonial History (eScholarship Research Centre, 2008) 245, 258

Karen George and Gary George, Croker Island Mission (1940 Ð 1968) (4 August 2014) Find & Connect https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/nt/biogs/YE00021b.htm

Tony Austin, Interview with Bobby Randall (Oral History Interview, Northern Territory Archives Service, TS 779, December 1993), quoted in Noah Riseman, 'Disrupting Assimilation: Soldiers, Missionaries and Aboriginal People in Arnhem Land During World War II' in Amanada Barry, Joanna Cruickshank, Andrew Brown-May (eds), Evangelists of Empire?: Missionaries in Colonial History (eScholarship Research Centre, 2008) 245, 248

NT
Croker Island

Wurundjeri Council
http://wurundjeri.com.au

City of Yarra, Wurundjeri History of Yarra - Introduction, City of Yarra
http://aboriginalhistoryofyarra.com.au/1-introduction/

The Mandilarri-Ildugij people are the custodians of most of the island's landmass, however the Mangalara, Murran, Gadura, Minaga and Ngaynjaharr peoples are the traditional landowners for some areas, including adjoining seas and nearby smaller islands. The traditional language of the Mandilarri-Ildugij people is Marrgu, but the Iwaidja language is now used more commonly. Yolngu in north-west Arnhem Land. Anangu in Central Australia. NT
Confidential evidence 544 Personal NT Alice Springs The Bungalow

I remember this woman saying to me, 'Your mother's dead, you've got no mother now. That's why you're here with us'. Then about two years after that my mother and my mother's sister all came to The Bungalow but they weren't allowed to visit us because they were black. They had to sneak around onto the hills. Each mother was picking out which they think was their children. And this other girl said, 'Your mother up there'. And because they told me that she was dead, I said, 'No, that's not my mother. I haven't got a black mother' (p. 134).

I found the Methodist Mission [Croker Island] very helpful and myself, from my experience, I really can't condemn the United Church, or Methodist Mission. Because they've been excellent to us. There were one hundred children and they showed a little bit of affection to each of us, y'know. They didn't show any favouritism (p. 354).

Confidential evidence 544, Northern Territory: woman removed to The Bungalow at 5 years in the 1930s; after seven years transferred to Croker Island Mission.

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Bringing them Home: National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Children from Their Families (1997)

5 years Confidential evidence 544
A black and white photograph of two buildings at Croker Island Mission. There is an unsealed road winding to the left of the buildings, and small trees separate the buildings from the road.

Croker Island Mission, 1958

A black and white photograph of a group of young men at Croker Island Mission. Three are sitting on a fence, while two are on horseback.

Croker Island Mission, 1951

A black and white photograph of people assembled inside a building at Croker Island Mission. The adults are seated, while the children are sitting on the floor. They are all listening to one adult who is standing and speaking.

Croker Island Mission, 1958