Erambie Mission is an Aboriginal community located on the western banks of the

Lachlan River The Lachlan River is an intermittent river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, located in the Southern Tablelands, Central West, and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The Lachlan River ...

, from the town of

Cowra Cowra is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 9,863. Cowra is located approximately above sea level, on the ...

, in the Central West region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia.

History

Erambie was operated by the

New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

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 c ...

. The mission boasted a football team called the Erambie Allblacks, and there were many musicians in the community. During World War II, there were around 70,000 troops stationed at a training camp in Cowra, and people from the mission used to perform for them. They raised money for the war. A woman called Jane Murray was a kind of

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general E ...

to the community. She had 9 children, and worked with a doctor in Cowra. The mission was laid out along three streets in a grid of tightly-packed houses, but it contains no shops or library. It became home for most of the 700 Aboriginal people in the Cowra area. It was in existence in 1937. Residents had to obey many rules and regulations, but as far back as the 1940s the mission had a reputation for Aboriginal rights protests staged by the residents. Writer

Bob Merritt Bob Merritt is the retired senior pastor of Eagle Brook Church in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, a megachurch. Early life and education Merritt's father was Calvin Merritt, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Neshannock Towns ...

's 1975 play, ''

The Cake Man ''The Cake Man'' is a 1975 play by Aboriginal Australian writer Robert J. Merritt, Bob Merritt, notable for being the first play written by an Indigenous Australian person to be published, televised and to tour out of Australia. A telemovie was ...

'', portrayed life on the mission. The Cowra ACS (Aboriginal Children's Services) was based at Erambie from 1975 to 2008.

Prominent residents

Dr Laurie Bamblett, who grew up in Erambie, was in 2015 adjunct

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

at the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

, after spending over two decades developing and conducting community education and health programs at Erambie. Other residents have included: *

Isabel Coe Isabel Edie Coe (1951–2012) was a Wiradjuri woman born at Erambie Mission near Cowra, and one of the most prominent Australian Aboriginal leaders. Activism Coe was one of the activists who monitored police brutality and harassment against Abor ...

Paul Coe Paul Coe (born 4 February 1949), a Wiradjuri man born at Erambie Mission in Cowra, is an Australian Aboriginal activist. He is known for his advocacy of Aboriginal rights, with involvement in the publicity drive for the 1967 referendum, and the ...

* Elsie Heiss, mother of

Anita Heiss Anita Marianne Heiss (born 1968) is an Aboriginal Australian author, poet, cultural activist and social commentator. She is an advocate for Indigenous Australian literature and literacy, through her writing for adults and children and her memb ...

(1945–2011), writer *

Jenny Munro Jenny Munro (née Coe) is an Australian Wiradjuri elder and a prominent activist for the rights of Indigenous Australians. She has been at the forefront of the fight for Aboriginal housing at The Block in Sydney, and started the Redfern Aborigi ...

* Mum Shirl (Smith) *

Harry Wedge Harry James "HJ" Wedge (1957 – 8 November 2012) was a Wiradjuri artist. Early life and education Wedge was born in Erambie Mission, Cowra, New South Wales. Prior to starting his artwork professionally, Wedge worked as a driver and fruit pick ...

* Claude "Candy" Williams * Harry Williams

References

External links

Photo of residents, 1937

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with his son Jason at Erambie Mission, Cowra, New South Wales, 1978">Lyall Munro Jnr">Lyall Munro Jnr
with his son Jason at Erambie Mission, Cowra, New South Wales, 1978 taken by Juno Gemes {{Coord, 33.8464628, S, 148.6782728, E, display=title, scale:10000 Aboriginal communities in New South Wales Australian Aboriginal missions Wiradjuri

History

Prominent residents

References

Further reading

External links