Burra Bee Dee Mission facts for kids

The Burra Bee Dee Mission is a special place in New South Wales, Australia. It's a former Indigenous Australian mission and still has a cemetery that people use today. You can find it on the Oxley Highway near Coonabarabran.

This site was built between 1892 and 1957. It's also known by another name: Forked Mountain. The land is now owned by the Coonabarabran Local Aboriginal Land Council and the New South Wales Government. Because of its important history, Burra Bee Dee Mission was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 4 June 2004.

What is Burra Bee Dee Mission?

Burra Bee Dee Mission covers about 628 hectares (that's like 1,550 acres) of land. This area includes a big hill called Forky Mountain. Today, you won't see any old buildings like houses, schools, or churches there. They are all gone.

The only part of the original mission that is still there and used is the cemetery. Local Aboriginal people continue to use this cemetery for burials. In the early 1970s, the old school house was moved and is now used as a private home.

Experts believe that certain parts of the mission area, especially around the base of Forky Mountain, might still hold important historical clues underground. These clues could tell us more about the people who lived there long ago. The local community hopes to protect this area. They want to create walking trails and maybe a cultural centre. This would help teach visitors about the rich Aboriginal history of the mission.

The History of Burra Bee Dee Mission

Burra Bee Dee Mission officially started in 1908. But its story began much earlier, in 1892, with a woman named Mary Jane Cain. She lived near Coonabarabran and used to herd her goats. Sometimes, her goats would wander off towards Forky Mountain. This led Mary Jane and her husband to build a place at Forked Mountain where she could stay.

Mary Jane Cain wrote letters to Queen Victoria many times, asking for the land to be given to her people. Queen Victoria agreed that part of Burra Bee Dee should be given to Mary Jane. The Queen asked Mary Jane to manage the land and provide a home for Aboriginal people.

Later, this land was set aside for Aboriginal use. In the early 1900s, it came under the control of the Aboriginal Protection Board. This board managed many Aboriginal communities at the time. Burra Bee Dee became an official Aboriginal Reserve on 21 February 1911. It included three separate land areas that were set aside earlier: 400 acres in 1892, 73 acres in 1906, and 100 acres in 1911.

From Forky Mountain to Burra Bee Dee

The mission was first known as Forky Mountain, named after the large hill that stands out in the landscape. Mary Jane Cain often visited this mountain to find her goats. The land was officially called Forky Mountain until around 1911, when its name was changed to Burra Bee Dee.

The name Burra Bee Dee is an Aboriginal word that means "flying mice." Forky Mountain was very important to the people of Burra Bee Dee. It was a place where people were born, where they buried their loved ones, and where they found food. The mountain is a key part of the local language and stories.

Life at the Mission

The first hut built on the mission was by Mary Jane Cain and her husband. It was a simple house made of boards, tin, and bark, with a dirt floor. As more of Mary Jane's family and other Aboriginal families moved to the area, their homes varied. Some lived in "bag houses" made from Hessian bags, while others lived in tents or shacks made from bark and kerosene tins. Later, during the time when managers ran the mission, two-room fibro houses were built.

The early shacks were built in small groups, or "clusters," and more were added as needed. These clusters were often known by the women who lived there, like Granny Cain's, Queenie's place, or Granny Fuller's. The only houses built in straight rows facing the road were the five or six fibro houses that the government built later on.

Aboriginal people also lived in other places around Coonabarabran, like Gunnedah Hill and the Showground. Even though these groups didn't always get along at first, many eventually came to live together at Burra Bee Dee.

In 1924, two women arrived at Burra Bee Dee as missionaries. They lived and worked with the people for 30 years and became very important to the community. Mr. Marney, a resident of Burra Bee Dee, even built a church for the missionaries on the mission grounds. The women taught sewing classes and held a show every year. Church services were held every Sunday morning, with Sunday school for the children and a church service in the afternoon.

Why Burra Bee Dee Mission is Important

Burra Bee Dee Mission and Forky Mountain are very important to the history and culture of New South Wales.

A Link to the Past

This site helps us understand the history of Aboriginal people in the area. It shows how they lived and the activities they did. It's especially important because it was land granted to an Aboriginal woman, Mary Jane Cain, by Queen Victoria in the early 1900s. It then became an official Aboriginal Reserve in 1911. The site helps us learn about old customs and cultural practices of the Gamilaraay people. The Gamilaraay people still visit the site today to continue their cultural practices and look after the cemetery.

Connected to Important People

Burra Bee Dee Mission exists because of the hard work of Mary Jane Cain. Her efforts led to Forky Mountain becoming a formal place for Aboriginal people to live and find food. It became a key centre for the local Gamilaraay people. The mission, its cemetery, and Forky Mountain are deeply connected to the memory of Mary Jane Cain and are very significant to the Gamilaraay people. They hold cultural, spiritual, historical, and social value.

Special Meaning for the Community

Burra Bee Dee and Forky Mountain have strong social, cultural, and spiritual meaning for the Gamilaraay people. The area is known for its connection to traditional stories. Forky Mountain is often a central part of their language and stories. It was a special place for being "born under the mountain" and for being buried at the "foot of the mountain." It was also the site of the "Sun Dance," a special ritual held every Easter Sunday where many would climb to the top of the mountain to watch the sun "dance." Burra Bee Dee and Forky Mountain are places of great importance and belonging for the Gamilaraay people.

Learning from the Land

The base of Forky Mountain might contain important archaeological evidence. This means it could help us learn more about how people lived there in the past. By collecting more stories from elders and gathering old items, we can learn even more about the history of this special place.

Showing a Way of Life

Burra Bee Dee and Forky Mountain are very important for understanding the cultural heritage of the Gamilaraay people. The area shows us the main features of their way of life. It was the site of the first settlement at the base of Forky Mountain and later became the official "Mission" site. Even though the original buildings are gone, the cemetery remains. It is still maintained and used by the local Aboriginal community today.