Australian Indigenous Ministries

Australian Indigenous Ministries (AIM) is an interdenominational Christian organisation[1] that provides ministries to Aboriginal Australians.[2] It was formed in 1905 as the Aborigines Inland Mission of Australia (AIM),[3][lower-alpha 1] rebranding to Australian Indigenous Ministries in 1998.[5]

History

The Petersham Christian Endeavour Society built a house at La Perouse, near Botany Bay in New South Wales, in November 1894, where a Miss J. Watson took up residence and began working among the local Indigenous peoples. After her resignation due to ill-health in 1896, Retta Dixon took over the house and work. She moved to the Singleton area in the Hunter Valley in 1905, where the Aborigines Inland Mission of Australia was formed. The first Public Inaugural Meeting was held on September 11, 1905 in the Singleton Methodist Church.[6] Soon after opening approved to build missions in Queensland and Western Australia.[7] She married Leonard Long and around 1909, AIM set up a centre at Herberton in Far North Queensland.[8] Created its first Indigenous training college by 1938.[6]

Retta Dixon Home
Main article: Retta Dixon Home

AIM began working in the Top End in the 1930s.[8] In 1946 the AIM founded the Retta Dixon Home, an institution for Aboriginal children, on the Bagot Aboriginal Reserve in Darwin, Northern Territory.[9]

During the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2015,[10] it was found that AIM did not provide sufficient training to its staff on how to detect or respond to allegations of child sexual abuse.[11] Compensation was initially awarded to 71 people in a 2017 out-of-court settlement.[12] Since then, at least ten people have applied for compensation under the Australian Government's National Redress Scheme (NRS), which was set up for people who have experienced institutional child abuse. However the government has prevented Australian Indigenous Ministries (AIM) from being a participant in the NRS, for the stated reason that the group cannot afford to pay out potential claimants. There is a possibility that funding could be drawn from a government body, as a "funder of last resort", during the 2021 review of the scheme. Claimants and the AIM are exploring ways in which AIM could make a meaningful apology to survivors of abuse suffered at the home.[5]

St Clair Mission

Located between Muswellbrook and Singleton in a place called Carrowbrook.[13] Many Aboriginal groups seek refugee at James White property in the 1860s.[14] It was opened by Reverend James White and was run by Baptist missionary Retta Dixon in 1893.[13] It was established as a church and school.[14] Indigenous people used to farm the land.[15] In 1905 Retta took formal control of St Clair.[13] It was closed in 1918 when it taken over by the Aborigines Protection Board and renamed Mount Olive Reserve.[15] In 1920 the missionaries moved out, and the home was closed down in 1923.[13]

Singleton Aboriginal Children's Home

The property was used for both females and males from birth until their 14 years old.[16] The Aborigines Protection Board used it to place children removed from stations and reserves until 1920.[16]

Aborigines Inland Mission Bible Training College

Located in Mirimbah House opened in 1953 to replace Native Workers' Training College.[17] Its goal was to provide Baptist ministry for Indigenous teenagers and young people from all over Australia.[17] It closed in 1973.[17]

Running of the Missionaries

Their philosophy was exclusively Protestant with a generally conservative outlook and evangelical nature.[6] Their focused on being nonconformist , keeping the independence of each mission, the primacy of the bible and personal salvation.[6] By 1906 had ten missionary including employing three indigenous people.[6] Aboriginal assistant were employed where possible.[7] They were given the roles of pastors , missionaries , local assistants, deacons and deaconesses.[6] The mission did not involve themselves with organisations involved in the Stolen Generation.[18] This mission was considered unique due to being mostly female.[18] The Australia Indigenous Mission Church took responsibility from much as the appointment of pastor, the handling of properties and oversight of a Bible School based in Rockhampton providing short term and long term course in a number of centres.[19] There mainly recruited young single women between 1905 and 1968 243 worked at the missionaries with many of them living in poverty similar to the Indigenous People.[6] By 1935 their claimed to have fifty missionaries, twenty associates and thirty six Indigenous employees.[6]

Teachings

There the main mission was salvation and helping those "eager to read God's word'[18] They put an emphasis on preaching, teaching and applying the word of god.[19] They belief that teaching life skills, providing better health and education and the ability to resist temptation and trouble would build a better Aboriginal Christin community.[19] Some missionaries undertook a teaching role to create Indigenous Christian following.[19] Other missionaries decided to walk around communities visiting small groups and families some walking thousands of kilometers each year.[19] Retta Dixon claimed within the organisations 30-year history up to 1935 there had 11,000 under their spiritual cate, 35 centres, 100 outposts and 106 'agents at work'.[6]

Locations

Australian Indigenous Missionaries had the Longs' children, St Clair Mission, the Singleton House, the Native Workers' Training and the Singleton Bible Training Institute.[7] Missionaries were placed in major centres like Darwin and Alice Springs or in Aboriginal communities and outback towns.[19] The 'Orpan House' was opened on August 14, 1907 transferred to another organization in 1918 and closed in 1923.[6]

New South Wales

[7]

Queensland

[7]

Western Australia

[7]

North Territory

[7]

South Australia

[7]

Notes
  1. Sometimes spelt with an apostrophe: Aborigine's Inland Mission[4]

References
  1. "Statement of faith". Australian Indigenous Ministries. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  2. "Vision". Australian Indigenous Ministries. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. "History". Australian Indigenous Ministries. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  4. "Aborigines' Inland Mission newsletters". Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. Gordon, Oliver (20 January 2021). "Survivor seeks apology and demands Federal Government action over abuse claims at Retta Dixon Home in Darwin". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  6. Inkpin, Cathleen (19 October 2011). "Making their gospel known: the work and legacy of the Aboriginal Inland Mission 1905-1938" (PDF). University of Sydney.
  7. "Aborigines Inland Mission - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  8. "History". Australian Indigenous Ministries. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  9. "Retta Dixon Home (1946 - 1982)". Find and Connect. Australian Government. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  10. "Case Study 17, September 2014, Darwin". Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Australian Government. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  11. "Findings released into the Retta Dixon Home in Darwin". Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Australian Government. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  12. Brennan, Bridget; Dias, Avani (30 March 2017). "Abuse survivors welcome compensation settlement over Retta Dixon home in Darwin". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC News. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  13. "St Clair Aboriginal Mission - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  14. "St Clair mission, church school, cultural park | A History of Aboriginal Sydney". www.historyofaboriginalsydney.edu.au. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  15. "Aboriginal History | Singleton Council". www.singleton.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  16. "Singleton Aboriginal Children's Home - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  17. "Aborigines Inland Mission Bible Training College - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  18. Studies, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (14 December 2020). "The Aborigines Inland Mission". aiatsis.gov.au. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  19. "History". Australian Indigenous Ministries. Retrieved 31 March 2021.


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