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

mission station A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as ...

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 c ...

s in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, 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 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, 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 majority group or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group whether fully or partially. The different types of cultural assi ...

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 Aborigina ...

. 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 Islands group off Northern Queensland, Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal community, the legacy of an Aboriginal reserve, the Palm Island Aboriginal Sett ...

. 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 capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. 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) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

was established. QAPA suffered financial difficulties on Bribie, with the Colonial Secretary, Horace Tozer, refusing to pay their creditors in September 1892. The Association turned their attention to

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 Islan ...

, 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 ( 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. Originally there was onl ...

, and

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

was created.

Myora Mission

On the 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 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

. "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 concerns ...

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

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

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

orphans An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

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 role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836. The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...

References

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