Cummeragunja Mission
Encyclopedia
Cummeragunja Mission, or Cummeragunja Station, was an Australian Aboriginal mission established in 1881 on the New South Wales
side of the Murray River
, on the Victorian border near Barmah. The people were mostly Yorta Yorta.
Many of the original residents moved there from nearby Maloga Mission, where they had grown tired of the strict religious lifestyle. At Cummeragunja Station, on 1800 acres (7.3 km²), they established a farm
with the aim of communal self-sufficiency
. When Maloga finally closed the remaining residents were forced to move to Cummeragunja.
The residents of Cummeragunja shaped most of the land into a productive farm, producing wheat
, wool
and dairy
products.
In 1915 the New South Wales Aboriginal Protection Board
took greater control of Cummeragunja and its residents. The farm's committee of management was disbanded, and residents were subjected to confining and restrictive conditions. All the funds raised from the farm went to the Board, which 'rewarded' workers by doling out inadequate and unhealthy rations.
By the 1930s conditions had drastically deteriorated. Residents were confined to the station and many of their relatives were forced away. Decent rations and supplies were lacking and residents were forced to share blankets and live in rag huts. Tuberculosis
and whooping cough dramatically affected the elderly and young.
Tired of the conditions and treatment over 150 residents left the Reserve in protest in the Cummeragunja walk-off
. This was the first-ever mass strike of Aboriginal people in Australia.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
side of the Murray River
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
, on the Victorian border near Barmah. The people were mostly Yorta Yorta.
Many of the original residents moved there from nearby Maloga Mission, where they had grown tired of the strict religious lifestyle. At Cummeragunja Station, on 1800 acres (7.3 km²), they established a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
with the aim of communal self-sufficiency
Self-sufficiency
Self-sufficiency refers to the state of not requiring any outside aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective autonomy...
. When Maloga finally closed the remaining residents were forced to move to Cummeragunja.
The residents of Cummeragunja shaped most of the land into a productive farm, producing wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
products.
In 1915 the New South Wales Aboriginal Protection Board
Aboriginal Protection Board
There was an Aboriginal Protection Board in a number of Australian States with the function of "protecting" and regulating the lives of Indigenous Australians. They were also responsible for administering the various Half-caste acts where these existed and had a key role in the Stolen generations...
took greater control of Cummeragunja and its residents. The farm's committee of management was disbanded, and residents were subjected to confining and restrictive conditions. All the funds raised from the farm went to the Board, which 'rewarded' workers by doling out inadequate and unhealthy rations.
By the 1930s conditions had drastically deteriorated. Residents were confined to the station and many of their relatives were forced away. Decent rations and supplies were lacking and residents were forced to share blankets and live in rag huts. Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and whooping cough dramatically affected the elderly and young.
Tired of the conditions and treatment over 150 residents left the Reserve in protest in the Cummeragunja walk-off
Cummeragunja walk-off
The Cummeragunja walk-off in 1939 was a protest by Australian Aboriginal people at the Cummeragunja Mission in southern New South Wales.-Background:...
. This was the first-ever mass strike of Aboriginal people in Australia.
Notable people from Cummeragunja
- William CooperWilliam Cooper (Aboriginal Australian)William Cooper was an Australian Aboriginal leader.-Early life:Born in Yorta Yorta territory around the intersection of the Murray and Goulburn Rivers in Victoria, Australia, he was forced to work for a variety of pastoral employers...
, founded the Australian Aborigines League, and was one of the original people to call for a Day of MourningDay of MourningThe Day of Mourning was a day of protest held by Aboriginal Australians on 26 January 1938, the sesquicentenary of British colonisation of Australia...
and Protest on the same day that white Australia was celebrating its success in 1938. - Jimmy LittleJimmy LittleJimmy Little AO , is an Australian Aboriginal musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose career has spanned six decades. For many years he was the only Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene...
, (OAMOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
) musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. - Sir Douglas NichollsDouglas NichollsSir Douglas Ralph "Doug" Nicholls KCVO, OBE, was a prominent Aboriginal Australian from the Yorta Yorta people. He was a professional athlete, Churches of Christ pastor and church planter, ceremonial officer and a pioneering campaigner for reconciliation.Nicholls was the first Aboriginal person to...
, leading Australian rules footballAustralian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er, Churches of ChristChurches of Christ in AustraliaThe Churches of Christ in Australia is a Christian movement in Australia. It is part of the Restoration Movement with historical influences from the United States of America and the United Kingdom....
pastor and former Governor of South Australia. - Jack PattenJack PattenJohn Thomas Patten , known as Jack Patten was an Australian Aboriginal activist and journalist.-Biography:...
, founder of the Aborigines Progressive AssociationAborigines Progressive AssociationThe Aborigines Progressive Association, was established in 1937 by William Ferguson, Pearl Gibbs and Jack Patten in Dubbo, New South Wales. Ferguson and Gibbs led a group in the western part of the state, while Patten assemble an alliance of activists in the north-east...
and organiser of the 1938 Day of MourningDay of MourningThe Day of Mourning was a day of protest held by Aboriginal Australians on 26 January 1938, the sesquicentenary of British colonisation of Australia...
in NSW. - Margaret TuckerMargaret TuckerMargaret Lilardia Tucker was an Indigenous Australian activist and writer.Margaret Tucker was born at Warrangesda Mission to William Clements, a Wiradjuri man and Teresa Clements, née Middleton, a Yulupna women...
co-founder of the Australian Aborigines League and author of If Everyone Cared (1977) one of the first autobiographies to deal with the experience of the Stolen Generations - Jack CharlesJack Charles (actor)Jack Charles is an Australian Aboriginal actor, musician, potter, elder and 'national treasure'.Born at Cummeragunja Mission on the Murray River, Jack Charles was taken from his mother, a Yorta Yorta woman named Blanche, at 10 months of age...
(b. 1943), actor and co-founder of Australia's first indigenous theatre group, Nindethana, in Melbourne