Queensland Aboriginal Protection Association facts for kids

The Queensland Aboriginal Protection Association (QAPA) was a group in Queensland, Australia, that started different mission stations and Aboriginal reserves in the late 1800s. They aimed to help Aboriginal people but also wanted them to adopt European ways of life.

What QAPA Wanted to Do

QAPA believed they were helping Aboriginal people. However, they thought that Aboriginal people needed to change and learn European customs and values. This idea was called cultural assimilation, which meant making one culture become like another.

How QAPA Started and Grew

Before QAPA, other local groups tried to help Aboriginal people.

Early Efforts in Queensland

In 1887, a group in Ipswich started working on the Deebing Creek Mission. Later, in 1889, a group in Townsville suggested creating a special area for Aboriginal people on Great Palm Island. It's not clear if these local groups were connected to QAPA.

QAPA's Beginning and First Mission

QAPA had its first meeting in Brisbane. In 1890, the Association set up a mission on Bribie Island, which is an island near Brisbane. They built a school and dormitories, which are like shared sleeping rooms, for 20 people.

QAPA faced money problems on Bribie Island. The government official, Horace Tozer, refused to pay their debts in 1892. Because of this, QAPA looked for a new place.

Moving to Stradbroke Island

QAPA then focused on Stradbroke Island, which Aboriginal people called Minjerribah. In October 1892, a special area of about 20 hectares was set aside for a mission at Moongalba. This area was near the top of what is now North Stradbroke Island, and this is where Myora Mission was created.

Myora Mission: A Closer Look

On November 26, 1892, Queen Victoria officially declared Myora Mission a "Reserve for Mission." Starting in October 1893, the mission tried to make Aboriginal people live by European rules and values. This was part of the "assimilation through institutionalisation" plan.

Myora Mission was also called an "industrial and reformatory school." QAPA chose a Superintendent and Matron to run the mission, but the Queensland Government paid their wages. Later, the mission stopped being a school, and the dormitories were closed. Children who were considered orphans were moved to Deebing Creek Mission.

After that, Myora Mission's official status changed. It became a "Reserve for the use of the Aboriginal Inhabitants of the State." This meant it was now an Aboriginal reserve, and it was managed by the Chief Protector of Aborigines.