Point Pearce | |
|---|---|
  Point Pearce | |
| Coordinates:34°25′01″S137°30′07″E / 34.41694°S 137.50194°E /-34.41694; 137.50194 | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | South Australia |
| LGA | |
| Location | |
| Established | 1868[1] |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 147 (SAL2021)[4] |
| Postcode | 5573 |
Point Pearce, also speltPoint Pierce in the past, is a town in theAustralian state ofSouth Australia. The town is located in theYorke Peninsula Council local government area, 194 kilometres (121 mi) north-west of the state capital,Adelaide.
It is known for themission established forAboriginal people in the late nineteenth century. The location was originally known as Bookooyanna by the localNarungga people, later spelt Bukkiyana or Burgiyana.
Established as Point Pearce Mission Station in 1868, it became the Point Pearce Aboriginal Station after it was taken over by thestate government in 1915, as anAboriginal reserve. In 1972, ownership was transferred to the Point Pearce Community Council under theAboriginal Lands Trust Act 1966.
Also known as Point Pierce, it was one of several missions established in South Australia in the late 19th century, which includedPoonindie (1850),Point McLeay (Raukkan, 1850),Killalpaninna (1866) andKoonibba (1898). Some of these missions were the basis for Aboriginal communities which persist until the present; they were among the few places in the southern part of South Australia where dispossessed and displaced Aboriginal people were welcomed, even if the primary aim wasChristian evangelism.[5]
Soon after the establishment ofAdelaide in 1836, settlers had begun moving intoYorke Peninsula. The British concepts of property ownership were incompatible with theNarunggas' nomadic lifestyle, resulting in the gradual displacement of the Aboriginal population. In 1868, the Point Pearce Aboriginal Mission was established by theMoravian missionary Reverend W. Julius Kuhn.[1]
A site of 600 acres (240 ha) for a settlement was granted on 2 February 1868 at a place known as Bookooyanna (spelt Bukkiyana[6][7] or Burgiyana in later sources[citation needed]), about 70 kilometres (43 mi) south ofKadina.[8] The Point Pearce Mission Station, run by the Yorke Peninsula Aboriginal Mission committee, initially attracted 70 Narrungga residents. Poor conditions and illness led to consequent deaths, and by 1874 only 28 remained.[9]
In 1874 the reserve was extended by another 12 square miles (31 km2), and includingWardang Island.[8] By 1878, themission was largely self-sufficient[1] from its wool and wheat income.
In 1894, families from the closedPoonindie Mission were moved to Point Pearce. The mission operated a school, with a separate school house built in 1906.[9] Many children of mixed European andChinese descent were among the 31 pupils who enrolled.[8]
DuringWorld War I, men from Point McLeay and Point Pearce were among the first Aboriginal men in the state to enlist.[8]
As a result of theRoyal Commission on the Aborigines[10][11][12] on 1913,[8] theSouth Australian government took over management of the mission in 1915 and it became known as the Point Pearce Aboriginal Station, anAboriginal reserve.[5] Included in the recommendations was that the government become the legal guardian of all Aboriginal children upon reaching their 10th birthday, and place them "where they deem best".[10] Seven years after the final report of the commission, theAborigines (Training of Children) Act 1923, in order to allowIndigenous children to be "trained" in a special institution so that they could go out and work.[12]
The institution is named in theBringing Them Home report, as one which housedIndigenous children forcibly removed from their parents and thus creating theStolen Generations.[12]
In 1972, ownership was transferred to the Point Pearce Community Council under theAboriginal Lands Trust Act 1966.[9]
Many of the buildings remain today.[1]
Point Pearce is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north along the coast fromPort Victoria, and along withWardang Island, provides shelter for the small fishing and recreational port.
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