Manunka is an
Aboriginal community and former
mission
Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to:
Geography Australia
*Mission River (Queensland)
Canada
*Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality
* Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood
* ...
in
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 ...
.
History
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
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...
near
Mannum
Mannum is a historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. Mannum is the seat of the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in the state electoral district of Hammond and the federal Division of Barker.
...
. 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. A day school operated at the Mission and a dormitory was planned. 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.
The land is now held by the Manunka Aboriginal Corporation.
References
{{cite journal, last1=McLisky , first1=Claire , title=From missionary wife to superintendent: Janet Matthews on three independent Murray River missions , journal=Journal of Australian Studies , date=2015 , volume=39 , pages=32–43 , doi=10.1080/14443058.2014.987680 , url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14443058.2014.987680
Aboriginal communities in South Australia