Aborigines Friends Association
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The Aborigines' Friends' Association (AFA) was established out of concern for "the moral, spiritual and physical well-being" of Australian Aboriginal people from the Northern Territory and particularly South Australia. This organisation operated for over 100 years, and had their final meeting in the year 2001.


Foundation

A well-attended public meeting was held on 31 August 1858 at
Green's Exchange Green's Exchange, also known as Green's Auction Mart, was a business on King William Street, Adelaide, in the early colonial days of South Australia. It was not the first, and by no means the only stock exchange in Adelaide, but was notable in its a ...
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King William Street, Adelaide King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the central business district, CBD and Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, continuing as King William Road to the north of North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace and ...
, presided by the Governor, Sir Richard MacDonnell formally to found the Association. Bishop Short proposed, seconded by the businesslike (Methodist) Rev. W. Ingram "That a Society be now formed to be called the Aborigines' Friends' Association, whose object shall be the moral, spiritual, and physical well-being of the natives of this Province".C. E. Bartlett ''A Brief History of the Point McLeay Reserve and District'' Aborigines' Friends' Association 1959 The Governor accepted the invitation to act as Patron, and a committee was formed consisting of George Fife Angas (president); Bishop Short, Mr. Justice Boothby and
F. S. Dutton Francis Stacker Dutton CMG (18 October 1818 – 25 January 1877) was the seventh Premier of South Australia, serving twice, firstly in 1863 and again in 1865. History Dutton was born at Cuxhaven, Germany, where his father was British vice- ...
(vice-presidents); N. Oldham and G. W. Hawkes (treasurers); C. B. Young (secretary); and William Giles, F. S. Monk, (later Sir) William Milne,
Samuel Goode Samuel Goode may refer to: * Samuel Goode (American politician) (1756–1822), United States representative from Virginia *Samuel Goode (mayor) (1863–1864), mayor of Adelaide, South Australia *Sam Goode This is a list of characters appearing ...
, James Smith,
F. H. Faulding F. H. Faulding & Co was a pharmaceutical company founded in Adelaide, Australia, in 1845 by Francis Hardey Faulding (23 August 1816 – 19 November 1868), a native of Swinefleet, near Goole in Yorkshire, son of Francis Faulding, a surgeon.A ...
, Thomas Padman, Charles Smedley, William Peacock, George Prince, Daniel Kekwick, Captain Watts, Dr. George Mayo, Archdeacon Woodcock, Rev. C. W. Evan, Rev. R. Haining, Rev. J. Gardner, Rev. W. Ingram, Rev. J. Lyall, Rev. G. Stonehouse, Rev. A. R. Russell and Rev. R. Needham (members).


Work

The Association's first project was to investigate the condition of the Aboriginal people of the
Lower Murray The Lower Murray languages form a branch of the Pama–Nyungan languages, Pama–Nyungan family. They are:Bowern, Claire. 2011.How Many Languages Were Spoken in Australia?, ''Anggarrgoon: Australian languages on the web'', December 23, 2011corre ...
areas, brought to a pitiable state by the appropriation of their land by European settlers. It was resolved to establish a school and training facilities in the area; George Taplin was selected as their agent to recommend a suitable location for such a mission; he chose
Point McLeay Raukkan is an Australian Aboriginal community situated on the south-eastern shore of Lake Alexandrina in the locality of Narrung, southeast of the centre of South Australia's capital, Adelaide. Raukkan is "regarded as the home and heartlan ...
, and dedicated the next twenty years of his life to making it a reality. When in 1903 it was discovered that the city coroner, William Ramsay Smith, had removed the remains of Poltpalingada Booboorowie (Tommy Walker) before his burial in 1901, sent his body to the University of Edinburgh as an "anthropological specimen", the Association wrote to the government on behalf of the residents of
Point McLeay Mission Raukkan is an Australian Aboriginal community situated on the south-eastern shore of Lake Alexandrina in the locality of Narrung, southeast of the centre of South Australia's capital, Adelaide. Raukkan is "regarded as the home and heartland o ...
(Raukkan) asking to arrange for his remains to be returned, but their request was not taken seriously.


Archives

The South Australian Museum holds extensive records relating to the Aborigines' Friends' Association. The AFA collection comprises over 800 photographic images, several annual reports, magazine clippings and related papers. The collection includes records relating to Pastor Doug Nicholls, Rev. J. H. Sexton, Rev. George Taplin,
Ernest E. Kramer Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor *Ernest, M ...
, David Unaipon and Albert Namatjira. This collection shows many individuals of all ages in many locations through South Australia, the Northern Territory, and other Australian locations providing an excellent visual record of the way of life in this era.


Notable members

* John Lewis (Australian politician) * Charles Burney Young *
C. N. Collison Charles Nicholas Collison (1845 – 7 May 1929) was a journalist and businessman in the early days of South Australia. History Charles Nicholas Collison (1845 – 7 May 1929) was born in London in 1845 and migrated to South Australia with his pa ...
, Hon. secretary 1879–1890


References


Sources


Online Guide to Records at the South Australian Museum Archives
{{Authority control Organisations serving Indigenous Australians 1858 establishments in Australia Indigenous Australian politics History of Indigenous Australians