Colebrook Home was a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n institution for

Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...

children run by the

United Aborigines Mission The United Aborigines Mission (UAM) (also known as UAM Ministries, United Aborigines' Mission (Australia), and United Aborigines' Mission of Australia) was one of the largest missions in Australia, having dozens of missionary, missionaries and st ...

from 1924 (named Colebrook in 1927) to 1981, existing at four locations over its lifetime.

History

Colebrook Home existed at four locations through its lifetime. The United Aborigines Mission first established a home in 1924 near

Oodnadatta Oodnadatta is a small, remote outback town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located north-north-west of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide by road or direct, at an altitude of . The unsealed Oodnadatta ...

, although it was not known as Colebrook Home at that time. The home then moved to a place called Colebrook, just outside

Quorn Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 11 countries. The brand is owned by parent company Monde Nissin. Quorn is sold as both a cooking ingredient and as ...

in 1927, where it became known as Colebrook Home.Adelaide businessman and philanthropist

A. E. Gerard Alfred Edward Gerard (11 August 1877 – 13 October 1950), generally known as "A. E. Gerard", was a South Australian electrician and businessman who founded the Adelaide companies of Gerard & Goodman and Clipsal. History William Gerard (c. 1843 ...

(1877–1950), who was involved with the foundation of Colebrook, wrote about its early days in his publication ''History of the UAM'' (1944). In 1944 it was moved to Eden Hills, just outside

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. That site closed in 1972, and is now the site of the Colebrook Reconciliation Park. The original Colebrook at Quorn is now a small Aboriginal community. Its last location was in

Blackwood Blackwood may refer to: Botany * African blackwood (''Dalbergia melanoxylon''), a timber tree of Africa * African blackwood ('' Erythrophleum africanum''), (''Peltophorum africanum'') also Rhodesian blackwood, trees from Africa * Australian blac ...

, a

hills A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as mountains. Hills fall und ...

suburb of Adelaide.

Legacy

Colebrook Home was mentioned in the '' Bringing Them Home Report'' (1997) as an institution that housed Indigenous children forcibly removed from their families.

Former students

* Myra Ah Chee * Doreen Kartinyeri *

Lowitja O'Donoghue Lowitja O'Donoghue (August 1932 – 4 February 2024), also known as Lois O'Donoghue and Lois Smart, was an Australian public administrator and Indigenous rights advocate. She was the inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait I ...

Faith Thomas Faith Thomas (; 22 February 1933 – 15 April 2023), born Tinnipha, was an Australian cricketer and hockey player. She was also a nurse in regional South Australia. Thomas is known for being the first Indigenous woman to represent Australia ...

References

{{Aboriginal South Australians, state=collapsed 1924 establishments in Australia 1972 disestablishments in Australia Australian Aboriginal missions Stolen Generations institutions