Aborigines' Friends' Association facts for kids

David Unaipon was a member of the Aborigines' Friends' Association

The Aborigines' Friends' Association (AFA) was a group formed to help Aboriginal Australians from the Northern Territory and especially South Australia. They wanted to improve the "moral, spiritual and physical well-being" of these people. This organization worked for over 100 years. Their last meeting was in 2001.

Starting the Aborigines' Friends' Association

The AFA officially started on August 31, 1858. A large public meeting was held in Adelaide, South Australia. The Governor, Sir Richard MacDonnell, led the meeting.

Bishop Short suggested forming the group. Its main goal was to help the Aboriginal people of the area. The Governor agreed to be the Patron, which means he supported the group. A committee was also formed. Important members included George Fife Angas as president.

What the AFA Did

The AFA's first big project was to check on the Aboriginal people living near the Lower Murray River. European settlers had taken their land, which made life very hard for them.

The AFA decided to create a school and training center there. They chose George Taplin to find a good spot for this mission. He picked a place called Point McLeay. George Taplin then spent the next twenty years of his life making this mission a success.

Later, in 1903, something sad happened. The body of an Aboriginal man named Poltpalingada Booboorowie (also known as Tommy Walker) was taken. He had passed away in 1901. The city coroner, William Ramsay Smith, sent his body to a university in Scotland. The AFA wrote to the government for the people of Point McLeay Mission. They asked for Tommy Walker's remains to be brought back home. However, their request was not taken seriously at the time.

Records and History

The South Australian Museum keeps many records about the Aborigines' Friends' Association. This collection has over 800 photos. It also includes annual reports and magazine articles.

These records show many people of all ages. They show life in different places across South Australia and the Northern Territory. This collection gives us a great look at how people lived during that time. Some important people mentioned in the records include Pastor Doug Nicholls, Rev. George Taplin, David Unaipon, and Albert Namatjira.

Important People in the AFA

• John Lewis (Australian politician)
• Charles Burney Young
• C. N. Collison, who was the Hon. secretary from 1879 to 1890