The Christian Brethren in Western Australia ran Kurrawang Mission (1952-1984) and its cottage in Kalgoorlie (Boulder), Pukulari. The Christian Brethren became part of the Christian Community Churches of Australia in 2013.
The Christian Brethren in Western Australia ran Kurrawang Mission (1952-1984) and its Pukulari cottage in Burt Street, Kalgoorlie (Boulder).
The Christian Brethren in Kalgoorlie who established Kurrawang first came together in April 1947 as a small group of Christians who were associated with a movement known as the Gospel Assemblies. By 1948, they had two Sunday Schools in Kalgoorlie and open air meetings were held in the town. In February 1948, Mr and Mrs Will Sharpe had arrived in Kalgoorlie from New South Wales, and they broadcast gospel messages through amplifiers attached to their caravan. In 1952, Mr Sharpe was appointed as superintendent of the Kurrawang Mission and the Department of Native Affairs reported that the Gospel Assemblies were undergoing some changes. In the 1955 report by the Commissioner of Native Welfare, the group was known as the Gospel Brotherhood. It later became known as the Christian Brethren.
Although the Christian Brethren had withdrawn from management of Kurrawang by 1984, a connection between the Kurrawang Aboriginal Christian Community that was established there remained.
The Christian Brethren in 2013 had become part of the Christian Community Churches of Australia.
Sources used to compile this entry: 'Kurrawang Aboriginal Community Inc.', in Index - A History of the Christian Brethren in Western Australia, 1993, Ern West and Max Jeffries, HIS-WA.net, 2013, https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20140213092143/http://ihs-wa.net/history-wa6.htm; Information Services, Department for Community Development, Signposts: A Guide for Children and Young People in Care in WA from 1920, Government of Western Australia, 2004, https://signposts.communities.wa.gov.au//pdf/pdf.aspx; West, Ern and Jeffries, Max, Index - A History of the Christian Brethren in Western Australia, 1993, HIS-WA.net, 2013, https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20140204104957/http://ihs-wa.net/history-wa.htm; 'Western Australia Protectors Reports 1899-1959', in To Remove and Protect: Aboriginal Lives Under Control [website], Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, National Library of Australia, http://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/collections-online/digitised-collections/remove-and-protect/western-australia. Annual Report of the Commissioner of Native Affairs 1953 pp.9-10; Annual Report of the Commissioner of Native Welfare 1955 p.26..
Prepared by: Debra Rosser
Created: 15 March 2011, Last modified: 19 April 2017
Last updated: 17 October 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/wa/biogs/WE00268b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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