• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Finke River Mission

Est 1877

  • Home
  • About Us
    • History
  • Activities
  • Stories
  • Media
    • Videos
  • Is God calling you?
    • Testimonials
    • Employment
  • Contact Us
  • Donate Now

Records continue to change lives

21 October 2021

by Rachel Kuchel

What continues to amaze me working at Lutheran Archives is the myriad stories contained in the archive, the stories in one item or one box of records, and the myriad ways those stories or records have impacted lives.

This year a box of records was deposited at Lutheran Archives by former Finke River Mission (FRM) staff Pastor Paul Albrecht, Garry Stoll, Roger Fargher and Marion and Mark Schubert. The records were from FRM for the years 1972 to 1982. They are documents that surround the pivotal event of the 1982 handover of the title to the former Hermannsburg Mission lease to five Aboriginal clans as five individual land titles.

This has been the only instance in Australia of land titles being granted to representatives based upon their traditional custodianship – as opposed to one title being granted across land that might have multiple traditional custodians. Aboriginal leaders made 18 individual submissions to Parliament that were instrumental in the success of this event.

The records document the process undertaken by FRM staff to achieve this landmark event, including the changes in LCA policy and the Aboriginal Land Rights Act at federal government level.

Seven years ago, a group of former FRM staff began to collect the records and Marion, a former part-time worker at Hermannsburg from 1978 to 1985 while Mark was a teacher and principal there, began retyping individual documents as many were beginning to fade. She later contacted me at the Archives to determine how we could work together to preserve them. This resulted in the records being digitised at the Archives and collated, listed and described by Garry, Roger, Marion and Mark.

It has been a long process, but the records are now at Lutheran Archives available for research. Our FRM collection already contained copies of the 18 submissions to Parliament, but these records provide the context to this event.

It is always my desire that Lutheran Archives records continue to impact lives, inform us, provide hope, healing or understanding, and even influence or shape current decision-making – both within the LCA and, potentially, at government level. I hope that these records can perhaps now be used by government agencies to show them a path they could use in recognising and granting traditional Aboriginal land custodianship.

Rachel Kuchel is Director of Lutheran Archives.

Photo 1: Aboriginal Affairs Minister, the Hon Ian Wilson hands the title deed to Barry Abbott (far left) and Gordon Abbott (to the right of Barry), trustees of the Urana Land Trust at the handover of these at Wallace’s Rock Hole in 1982. LCA President, Dr Les Grope and Moss Keller Chair of FRM (far right) are among those watching on.

Photo 2: Aboriginal Affairs Minister, the Hon Ian Wilson (seated right forefront) speaking to Pastor Traugott Malbunka (standing) with Gustav Malbunka (with beanie, seated to Pastor Traugott’s left) and Hermann Malbunka (seated to the left of Gustav). These are the trustees of Ltalatuma land trust at the time of the handover which took place at Gilbert Springs in 1982.

This is an excerpt from a story that appeared in the Friends of Lutheran Archives (FoLA) newsletter under the headline ‘Handing back land to families at Hermannsburg’.

« Hearing better the Indigenous voice

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Alice Springs
  • Alyawarr
  • Ampilatwatja
  • Anmatjere
  • Anniversaries & Celebrations
  • Areyonga
  • Art & Music
  • Asante Sana
  • Children & Youth
  • Communities
  • Docker River
  • Engawala
  • Haasts Bluff
  • Hermannsburg
  • Imanpa
  • Kintore
  • Kiwirrkurra
  • Kwala Kwala
  • Lilla
  • Mt Liebig
  • Mutitjulu
  • Napperby
  • Papunya
  • Partnerships
  • Pastors & Staff
  • Pintupi-Luritja
  • Six Mile
  • Stirling
  • Tara
  • Ti Tree
  • Titjikala
  • Training
  • Uncategorised
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteers & Supporters
  • Women
  • Yirara College

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • December 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • December 2013
  • June 2013
  • June 2012
  • December 2011
  • June 2011

© 2020 Finke River Mission. All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Activities
  • Stories
  • Media
  • Get Involved
    • Is God calling you?
      • Testimonials
  • Contact Us

Footer

Contact Info

  • 51a Gap Road, The Gap NT 0870, Australia
  • (08) 8952 4666
  • admin@finkerivermission.org.au

Warning: This website contains images of people who have died.

Copyright © 2023 — Finke River Mission • All rights reserved.