Ebenezer Mission
Encyclopedia
Ebenezer Mission station was established near Lake Hindmarsh
, Victoria
, Australia
(near Jeparit
) in 1859 by the Moravian Church on the land of the Wotjobaluk
. The first missionaries were two Germans, Reverend Friedrich Hagenauer
and Reverend F.W. Spieseke. In 1861 the Victorian Colonial Government gazetted 1897 acres (7.7 km²) as a reserve for the Ebenezer Mission Station. The mission was established a few years after the failure of the Moravian Lake Boga mission
in Wemba-Wemba
territory.
Horatio Cockburn Ellerman, an early settler who established Antwerp Station, suggested the site where the mission station was established rather than the three sites suggested by the Government. The site selected was known as Banji bunagand had traditional meaning for the Wotjobaluk being a corroboree
ground according to elder Uncle Jack Kennedy
, and also contained the grave for an aboriginal woman shot dead, the mother of William Wimmera.
The main aim of the mission
was to civilize and Christianize the Aboriginal inhabitants of the area. In 1860, the first convert to Christianity
, Nathanael Pepper, was baptised. Rations were given to residents on the condition that they attended church services and school.
As a result of the 1886 Act to Provide for the Protection and Management of the Aboriginal Natives of Victoria
which forced half caste aborigines off missions, by 1892 the number of residents at Ebenezer Mission Station dropped to only 30 people.
In 1902 the State Government of Victoria decided to close the Ebenezer Mission due to low numbers. The mission closed in 1904, and most of the land was handed back to the Victorian Lands Department and made available for selection. In the following twenty years many Wergaia people were forcibly moved to Lake Tyers in Gippsland under police escort, along with closure of all rations to Ebenezer Mission and seizure of children. Despite these measures, some Wergaia families avoided relocation and remained on their ancestral lands.
Lake Hindmarsh
Lake Hindmarsh in western Victoria is the state’s largest natural freshwater lake. The nearest towns are Jeparit to the south and Rainbow to the north.The lake has filled after more than a decade of drought, due to floods in early 2011.-History:...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(near Jeparit
Jeparit, Victoria
Jeparit is situated on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres north west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census Jeparit had a population of 582.-History:...
) in 1859 by the Moravian Church on the land of the Wotjobaluk
Wergaia
Wergaia is an Indigenous Australian language group in the Wimmera region of north-Western Victoria. 20 clans made up the Wergaia language group which consisted of four distinct dialects: Wudjubalug/Wotjobaluk; Djadjala/Djadjali; Buibadjali; Biwadjali...
. The first missionaries were two Germans, Reverend Friedrich Hagenauer
Friedrich Hagenauer
Friedrich Hagenauer was a Presbyterian minister and missionary in Australia who established Ebenezer Mission and Ramahyuck mission.Reverend Friedrich Hagenauer and Reverend F.W...
and Reverend F.W. Spieseke. In 1861 the Victorian Colonial Government gazetted 1897 acres (7.7 km²) as a reserve for the Ebenezer Mission Station. The mission was established a few years after the failure of the Moravian Lake Boga mission
Lake Boga mission
Lake Boga Mission station was established on the south-eastern shores of Lake Boga, Victoria, Australia in 1851 by the Moravian Church on the land of the Wemba-Wemba. The mission was established by Reverend Andreas Friedrich Christian Täger and Reverend Friedrich Wilhelm Spieseke...
in Wemba-Wemba
Wemba-Wemba
The Wemba-Wemba are an Indigenous Australian group in north-Western Victoria and south-western New South Wales, Australia, including in the Mallee and the Riverina regions. They are also known as the Wamba-wamba....
territory.
Horatio Cockburn Ellerman, an early settler who established Antwerp Station, suggested the site where the mission station was established rather than the three sites suggested by the Government. The site selected was known as Banji bunagand had traditional meaning for the Wotjobaluk being a corroboree
Corroboree
A corroboree is a ceremonial meeting of Australian Aborigines. The word was coined by the European settlers of Australia in imitation of the Aboriginal word caribberie. At a corroboree Aborigines interact with the Dreamtime through dance, music and costume. Many ceremonies act out events from the...
ground according to elder Uncle Jack Kennedy
William John Kennedy
William John Kennedy, better known as Uncle Jack Kennedy, was a lifelong activist for the rights of Australian Aborigines, a Wotjobaluk clan elder of the people who spoke the Wergaia language in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia...
, and also contained the grave for an aboriginal woman shot dead, the mother of William Wimmera.
The main aim of the mission
Mission (station)
A religious mission or mission station is a location for missionary work.While primarily a Christian term, the concept of the religious "mission" is also used prominently by the Church of Scientology and their Scientology Missions International....
was to civilize and Christianize the Aboriginal inhabitants of the area. In 1860, the first convert to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Nathanael Pepper, was baptised. Rations were given to residents on the condition that they attended church services and school.
As a result of the 1886 Act to Provide for the Protection and Management of the Aboriginal Natives of Victoria
Half-caste act
Half-Caste Act was the common name given to Acts of Parliament passed in Victoria and Western Australia in 1886. They became the model for legislation of Aboriginal communities throughout Australia, such as the Aboriginal Protection and restriction of the sale of opium act 1897 in...
which forced half caste aborigines off missions, by 1892 the number of residents at Ebenezer Mission Station dropped to only 30 people.
In 1902 the State Government of Victoria decided to close the Ebenezer Mission due to low numbers. The mission closed in 1904, and most of the land was handed back to the Victorian Lands Department and made available for selection. In the following twenty years many Wergaia people were forcibly moved to Lake Tyers in Gippsland under police escort, along with closure of all rations to Ebenezer Mission and seizure of children. Despite these measures, some Wergaia families avoided relocation and remained on their ancestral lands.