The Aborigines' Friends' Association (AFA) was established out of concern for "the moral, spiritual and physical well-being" of

Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

people from the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

and particularly

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. 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 ...

, 65

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 Augustus Short (11 June 1802 – 5 October 1883) was the first Anglican bishop of Adelaide, South Australia. Early life and career Born at Bickham House, near Exeter, Devon, England, the third son of Charles Short, a London barrister, of ...

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 George Fife Angas (1 May 1789 – 15 May 1879) was an English businessman and banker who, while residing in England, played a significant part in the formation and establishment of the Province of South Australia. He established the South Aus ...

(president); Bishop Short, Mr. Justice Boothby and F. S. Dutton (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, James Smith, F. H. Faulding, Thomas Padman, Charles Smedley, William Peacock, George Prince, Daniel Kekwick, Captain Watts, Dr.

George Mayo George Mayo (8 January 1807 – 16 December 1894) was a medical practitioner in the colony of South Australia. Dr. Mayo was born in England the fourth son of Rev. Joseph Mayo, M.A., of Ozleworth Church, Gloucestershire. He studied medicine at ...

, 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 George Taplin (24 August 1831 – 24 June 1879) was a Congregationalist minister who worked in Aboriginal Australian, Aboriginal missions in South Australia, and gained a reputation as an anthropologist, writing on Ngarrindjeri lore and customs. ...

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 heartland o ...

, 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 William Ramsay Smith (27 November 1859 – 28 September 1937), frequently referred to as Ramsay Smith, was a Scottish physician, educator, naturalist, anthropologist and civil servant, who worked in South Australia after moving there at the ag ...

, had removed the remains of

Poltpalingada Booboorowie Poltpalingada Booboorowie (born – died 4 July 1901) was a prominent Aboriginal man of the Thooree clan of the Ngarrindjeri nation, who lived among the community of fringe dwellers in Adelaide, South Australia during the 1890s. He was a ...

(Tommy Walker) before his burial in 1901, sent his body to the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

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.

Notable members

John Lewis (Australian politician) John Lewis (12 February 1844 – 25 August 1923) was an Australian pastoralist and politician. He was a member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1898 to 1923, representing the Northern District (1898-1902) and North-Eastern Distr ...

Charles Burney Young Charles Burney Young (7 July 1824 – 29 September 1904), generally referred to as C. B. Young, was a landholder, winemaker and politician in the early days of the colony of South Australia. History Young was born in England of Scottish ancestry ...

* C. N. Collison, 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