Point Pearce, also spelt Point Pierce in the past, is a town in the

Australian state The states and territories are the national subdivisions and second level of government of Australia. The states are partially sovereignty, sovereign, administrative divisions that are autonomous administrative division, self-governing polity, ...

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 ...

. The town is located in the Yorke Peninsula Council local government area, north-west of the state capital,

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 ...

. It is known for the mission established for Aboriginal people in the late nineteenth century. The location was originally known as Bookooyanna by the local Narungga people, later spelt Bukkiyana or Burgiyana. Established as Point Pearce Mission Station in 1868, it became the Point Pearce Aboriginal Station after it was taken over by the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

in 1915, as an

Aboriginal reserve An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th ...

. In 1972, ownership was transferred to the Point Pearce Community Council under the '' Aboriginal Lands Trust Act 1966''.

History

Also known as Point Pierce, it was one of several missions established in South Australia in the late 19th century, which included Poonindie (1850), Point McLeay (Raukkan, 1850), Killalpaninna (1866) and Koonibba (1898). Some of these missions were the basis for Aboriginal communities which persist until the present; they were among the few places in the southern part of South Australia where dispossessed and displaced Aboriginal people were welcomed, even if the primary aim was Christian evangelism. Soon after the establishment of

in 1836, settlers had begun moving into

Yorke Peninsula The Yorke Peninsula, known as Guuranda by the original inhabitants, the Narungga people, is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula ...

. The British concepts of property ownership were incompatible with the Narunggas' nomadic lifestyle, resulting in the gradual displacement of the Aboriginal population. In 1868, the Point Pearce Aboriginal Mission was established by the Moravian missionary Reverend W. Julius Kuhn. A site of for a settlement was granted on 2 February 1868 at a place known as Bookooyanna (spelt Bukkiyana or Burgiyana in later sources), about south of Kadina. The Point Pearce Mission Station, run by the Yorke Peninsula Aboriginal Mission committee, initially attracted 70 Narrungga residents. Poor conditions and illness led to consequent deaths, and by 1874 only 28 remained. In 1874 the reserve was extended by another , and including Wardang Island. By 1878, the mission was largely self-sufficient from its wool and wheat income. In 1894, families from the closed Poonindie Mission were moved to Point Pearce. The mission operated a school, with a separate school house built in 1906. Many children of mixed European and Chinese descent were among the 31 pupils who enrolled. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, men from Point McLeay and Point Pearce were among the first Aboriginal men in the state to enlist. As a result of the Royal Commission on the Aborigines on 1913, the

South Australian government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the highest ranking mem ...

took over management of the mission in 1915 and it became known as the Point Pearce Aboriginal Station, an

. Included in the recommendations was that the government become the legal guardian of all Aboriginal children upon reaching their 10th birthday, and place them "where they deem best". Seven years after the final report of the commission, the '' Aborigines (Training of Children) Act 1923'', in order to allow Indigenous children to be "trained" in a special institution so that they could go out and work. The institution is named in the '' Bringing Them Home'' report, as one which housed Indigenous children forcibly removed from their parents and thus creating the

Stolen Generations The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Gover ...

. In 1972, ownership was transferred to the Point Pearce Community Council under the ''Aboriginal Lands Trust Act 1966''. Many of the buildings remain today.

Location and facilities

Point Pearce is about north along the coast from Port Victoria, and along with Wardang Island, provides shelter for the small fishing and recreational port.

People

* Ivaritji ( – 1929),

Kaurna The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kau ...

elder and last known speaker of the

Kaurna language Kaurna ( or ) is a Pama-Nyungan language historically spoken by the Kaurna peoples of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. The Kaurna peoples are made up of various tribal clan groups, each with their own ''parnkarra'' district of land and ...

, lived there for many years. * Gladys Elphick (1904 – 1988), founding president of the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia, grew up there. * Lewis O'Brien (b. 1930), Kaurna elder, was born there. * Alitya Rigney (1942 – 2017), Kaurna elder and scholar, who did much to revive the Kaurna language, was born there. * Tauto Sansbury (c. 1949 – 2019), Indigenous activist, was born there. *

Natasha Wanganeen Natasha Wanganeen (born 20 June 1984) is an Aboriginal Australian actress. She is known for her starring role in the 2002 feature film '' Rabbit-Proof Fence'' and numerous television roles. She made her debut as co-writer and co-producer in a 2 ...

(b. 1984), AFI award-winning actor grew up in Point Pearce.

History

Location and facilities

People

References

Further reading