Former mission lands handed back to Aborigines

Former mission lands in the South-West have been handed back to Aboriginal people.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Judyth Watson today formally handed over lease documents for the Marribank farm school near Katanning to the Southern Aboriginal Corporation nearly 80 years after the area was first set aside as an institution.

Dr Watson said the 99-year lease arrangement was a significant landmark in self-determination for Aboriginal people.

Marribank, formerly known as Carrolup Mission, was established in 1915 to relocate Aboriginal people from towns where they were considered by Europeans as nuisances.

A school was started in 1917.  Children who did not want to go to Carrolup were made wards of the State and forcibly moved under warrants.  Their parents moved to the banks of the nearby river and camped so they could be near their children.

In addition to the mission children, others were taken from their families from throughout Western Australia.

At one stage there were 60 children at Carrolup.  There were many hardships in the early years, including whippings and solitary confinement for absconders.

"Because of this kinship and bonding, Marribank has become a significant place for many Aboriginal people from various language groups whose family members were removed and relocated," Dr Watson said.

"In light of this the International Year of the World's Indigenous People, I would hope today's lease handover is not only symbolic to Aboriginal people but to non-Aboriginal Australians as well.

"It is time to acknowledge the mistakes of the past, reconcile our differences and work towards redressing Aboriginal disadvantage."

Farming at Carrolup, which began in the 1920s to supplement running costs, was increased in 1940 when the area was renamed Marribank Mission.  In the 1950s Marribank was renovated to be a farm school to provide rural and technical training for young Aboriginal men and boys.

The Baptist Church took over the Marribank lease in 1955 and in 1989 agreed to surrender it to Aboriginal people without compensation from the Government.

"With sufficient funding, the farming property has the potential to be a viable enterprise," Dr Watson said.

"In addition, Marribank's historic past lends itself to tourism potential and this is a possible area of exploitation.

"Despite its sometimes bleak past, Marribank has produced several generations of successful Aboriginal artists.

"From that time, the emphasis on art and its influence on other Aboriginal artists produced many talented child artists.  They included Parnell Dempster, Revel Cooper, Claude Kelly, Reynold Hart and Shane Pickett.

"Some of the work was so admired it was exhibited in London in 1950 and later in other parts of Europe."