| Roelands Village |
| Years of Operation | 1975 to 1984 |
| Role Of Facility | Roelands Village was operated as a residential child care facility almost exclusively for children from an Indigenous background in Cottage Homes on the property. Wollaston Hostel in Bunbury was part of Roelands Village responsibility. |
| Sponsoring Agency | In 1975, Roelands Village was purchased by Churches of Christ Federal Aborigines Mission Board Inc. (CCFAMBI) from the previous owners. At this time the name was changed to Roelands Village.
Childcare was closed at Roelands Village at the end of 1984.
On 15 September 2004, Roelands Village was formally handed over to the Indigenous Land Council who in conjunction with the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council purchased Roelands Village for Woolkabunning Kiaka, an association of those who were children at Roelands. |
Other facilities in
Signposts that are
related to the
Sponsoring Agency | See the entry “Australian Churches of Christ Indigenous Ministries” in the earlier section of Signposts, “Non-Government Agencies and their Subsidiary Institutions”. |
| Address(es) | Seven Hills Road, Roelands. |
| Brief History | The Australian Churches of Christ Indigenous Ministries (ACCIM) has provided the following historical information:
Parents whose teenage girls had gone to the Bamburra Hostel [see entry] in the Perth suburb of Yokine, recommended to other parents especially in the north west, Kimberleys and Cue, that they send their teenagers to Roelands while they completed their High Schooling. These communities had contact with ACCIM missionaries from Carnarvon Mission who had regular visits from families of the children in their care in these areas. The Commonwealth Department of Education also requested the placement of teenagers from these areas.
There were some local State Wards from the South West, Great Southern and Perth areas who also at Roelands. For a period of time, Roelands Village cared for children whose parents were going through the Alcohol Rehabilitation programme at Wandering Mission.
The children from Roelands Village, including Wollaston Hostel in Bunbury [see entry], attended primary schools in Brunswick, Roelands and two schools in Bunbury. Secondary students attended Harvey and Bunbury High Schools.
Wollaston Hostel operated as part of Roelands Village.
The WELSTAT (welfare statistics) Collection of 1979 notes “Roelands Village Cottage 1-8” as a ‘campus home’ (ie. “a residential child care establishment consisting of two or more dwellings that do not share cooking or eating facilities”, with an on-site manager “who has authority over the treatment and location of all the children in the dwellings” and which are not otherwise defined as secure institutions or hostels).
Roelands, situated on freehold land, is now a working farm.
When the CCFAMBI took over Roelands, they also assumed control of a campsite near Busselton, ownership of which has since been transferred to a local Indigenous group.
A limited chronology of the functions of Roelands, including admissions and discharges, is included in Table 39. |
| Records | Departmental records for children placed by the Department of Community Welfare or the Department of Native Welfare may exist.
Additionally, the Department for Child Protection’s Aboriginal Index should be consulted for information.
Thousands of photos taken at the Churches of Christ Mission centres have been preserved, and identified where possible. In time, these will be available from ACCIM.
According to the The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies website www.aiatsis.gov.au , the State Records Office in Western Australia “holds extensive records relating to missions.” Contact details are below. |
| Access | While access to records is restricted to protect the privacy of individuals, people are encouraged to enquire. |
| Contact Details | For Photographs:
Australian Churches of Christ Indigenous Ministries
Box 1199, Wangara WA 6947.
Telephone: (08) 9309 3922
Email: admin@accim.info
For Personal Record Cards:
Freedom of Information
Department of Communities
Locked Bag 5000, Fremantle WA 6959
Telephone: (08) 6217 6888
Country free call: 1800 176 888
Email: foi@communities.wa.gov.au
Website: www.communities.wa.gov.au
For general information relating to missions:
State Records Office, Alexander Library Building
James St West Entrance
Perth WA 6000.
Search Centre: Ground Floor Mon-Fri:9.30am-4.30pm
Telephone: (08) 9427 3360
Facsimile: (08) 9427 3368
Email: sro@sro.wa.gov.au |
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