The Queensland Aboriginal Protection Association (QAPA) was responsible for the creation of various

mission station A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and ...

s or

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 ...

s in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia, in the late nineteenth century.

Aims

While they were concerned with the welfare of

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 ...

people, they thought that the people needed to be changed to learn and adopt European values, in a form of

cultural assimilation Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's Dominant culture, majority group or fully adopts the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group. The melting pot model is based on this ...

History

Two local precedents

In 1887, the "Aboriginal Protection Association of Ipswich" (a local organisation) commenced work on the establishment of the

Deebing Creek Mission Deebing Creek Mission is a heritage-listed former Aboriginal reserve at South Deebing Creek Road (now Grampian Drive), Deebing Heights, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built from to . It is also known as Deebing Creek Aborigin ...

. In 1889, the Secretary of the "Townsville Aboriginal Protection Association" proposed to the Colonial Secretary that an Aboriginal reserve be created on

Great Palm Island Great Palm Island, usually known as Palm Island, is the largest island in the Palm Island, Queensland, Palm Islands group off North Queensland, Northern Queensland, Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal Australian, Aboriginal community, the ...

. However it is not known if either had any link with QAPA.

Founding of QAPA

The inaugural meeting of QAPA was held in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. In 1890, the Association established a mission on

Bribie Island Bribie Island is the smallest and most northerly of three major sand islands forming the coastline sheltering the northern part of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The others are Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island. Bribie Island is ...

, off the coast near Brisbane, at the northwestern end of

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

. A school and provision for 20 residents living in

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

was established. QAPA suffered financial difficulties on Bribie, with the Colonial Secretary,

Horace Tozer Sir Horace Tozer (23 April 1844 – 20 August 1916)
''

Stradbroke Island Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century. Today the island is split into two islands: North Stradbroke Is ...

, then one island and known as Minjerribah by the local Aboriginal people. In October 1892, an area of was reserved for a mission station at Moongalba, near the northern tip of what is now

North Stradbroke Island North Stradbroke Island (Janday language, Jandai: ''Minjerribah''), colloquially ''Straddie'' or ''North Straddie'', is an island that lies within Moreton Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, southeast of the centre of Brisbane. Original ...

, and

Myora Mission Myora Mission was established as a mission station in 1892 in the Colony of Queensland, at Moongalba on Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island). It became an Aboriginal reserve and "industrial and reform school" in 1896, was used as a source of cheap ...

was created.

Myora Mission

On 26 November 1892, Myora Mission was proclaimed a "Reserve for Mission", signed by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. "Assimilation through institutionalisation" began in October 1893, with the staff enforcing European cultural practices and values. The Mission was declared an "industrial and

reformatory school A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concern ...

" and a Mission Superintendent and Mission Matron was appointed by QAPA, but paid by the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...

. The mission later ceased to be a school, the dormitories were closed, and the children classified as

orphans An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages, such as Swedis ...

and removed to

. It was then re-proclaimed a "Reserve for the use of the Aboriginal Inhabitants of the State", changing its official status to Aboriginal reserve, coming under the control of the

Chief Protector of Aborigines The Australian colonies in the nineteenth century created offices involved in managing the affairs of Indigenous people in their jurisdictions. The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role beca ...

References

{{Authority control Defunct organisations serving Indigenous Australians 1892 establishments in Australia History of Indigenous Australians History of Queensland