Mitchell River Mission, at Trubanaman, was established by the Church of England in 1905. In 1918 the mission relocated to a site on Magnificent Creek and was given the name Kowanyama (however, for many years after this move it was still referred to as Mitchell River Mission). In 1966, the Anglican Church approached the government to take control of the mission and responsibility for the mission was handed over to the Queensland Government on 1 May 1967. The mission became a government administered reserve known as Kowanyama.
In January 1903 an Aboriginal reserve on the Mitchell River was gazetted. The Church of England established a mission at Trubanaman near Topsy Creek in 1905. Although the Church administered the Mission, it was answerable to the State who subsidised them.
Children living on the Mission were separated from their parents and housed in segregated dormitories for the purposes of education. This practice was also viewed as a means of isolating the children from their culture.
In 1918 the Mission moved 19 kilometres from the original location to a site on Magnificent Creek and was given the name Kowanyama, meaning “many waters”.
In 1941 the Mitchell River Mission became an approved institution for the purposes of receiving child endowment payments from the Department of Social Services for each of the children under the guardianship of the Mission. At this time there were 65 children living in the mission dormitories.
In 1967 the Anglican Church handed over control of the Mission to the Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Island Affairs.
From
1905
To
1967
Alternative Names
Trubanaman Mission
Trubanamen Mission
Kowanyama
1905 - 1918
The Mitchell River Mission was situated on the Mitchell River at Trubanaman, Queensland (Building Unknown)
1918 - 1967
The Mitchell River Mission was situated on Magnificent Creek, Trubanaman (now Kowanyama), Queensland (Building Still standing)
Subsequent
