Pormpuraaw (pronounced pom-pu-ra) is a coastal town and a locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Pormpuraaw, Queensland, Australia. Pormpuraaw is an Aboriginal community situated on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula approximately halfway between Karumba and Weipa on the Edward River. It is by road from Cairns. Pormpuraaw currently has a 4-man police station.
Formerly known as Edward River Aboriginal Mission, Pormpuraaw was an Anglican mission established in 1938. The people included Thaayorre, Wik, Pakanh and Yir Yoront. This was the third mission to be set up in the southwestern Cape York region. In 1967 control was passed from the church to the Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Islander Affairs. The community received Deed of Grant in Trust status, and is governed by a community council. Pormpuraaw has been successful in developing a commercial crocodile farm, a cattle operation and some tourism.
In the , the locality of Pormpuraaw had a population of 611 people.
History Pormpuraaw (Porrm-puur-ow) was previously known as Edward River Mission and is situated on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula between the Chapman River and Mungkan Creek. The community is home to two groups of Aboriginal Australian people, the Thaayorre (Thie-Orr) and the Wik-Mungkan peoples,It is widely accepted in the community of Pormpuraaw that the Thaayorre and Mungkan peoples are the traditional owners; however a determination of native title by the courts has never been made. and includes 16 outstations.
European contact European settlement on Cape York began with the establishment of Somerset in 1865.C G Austin, 'Early History of Somerset and Thursday Island' (1949) Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland, 4, 2 http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/UQ:212282/s18378366_1949_4_2_216.pdf(PDF) at 8 April 2013. The settlement was formed at the tip of Cape York Peninsula after a recommendation from the Queensland Governor Sir George Bowen that it would be a favourable location for a harbour of refuge and a well-positioned international trading port.
Frank and Alexander Jardine overlanded a herd of cattle to establish a pastoral station near Somerset to supply the settlement with meat. The Jardine brothers had several skirmishes with Aboriginal people on their journey to Cape York that culminated in what the Jardine brothers named the "Battle of the Mitchell". On arriving at the Mitchell River:"Whilst the cattle halted … they came on to a number of blacks fishing, these immediately crossed to the other side, but on their return, swam across again in numbers, armed with large bundles of spears and some nullahs and met them ... The natives at first stood up courageously, but either by accident or through fear, despair or stupidity, they got huddled in a heap, in, and at the margin of the water, when ten carbines poured volley after volley into them from all directions, killing and wounding with every shot with very little return… About thirty being killed.'"After this fatal encounter, the Jardine brothers continued north, crossing the Coleman and Edward rivers and on to Somerset. Gold mining brought further European settlement to Cape York, after William Hann's expedition found gold on the Palmer River in 1872.G Pike, Queen of the North: A Pictorial History of Cooktown and Cape York Peninsula (G Pike, Mareeba, 1979) 22-23. In 1876, Robert Sefton found gold while prospecting at the Coen River. His return to Cooktown with 140 ounces in 1878 prompted a subsequent gold rush in Coen.G Pike, The Last Frontier (1983) 63-64; Author unknown, 'The Coen', The Queenslander, 13 July 1878, 470.
The town of Normanton was established by 1868, and a Native Police detachment was stationed there shortly afterwards.P Saenger, Sweers Island: Changes over 200 years since Flinders visit, Gulf of Carpentaria Scientific Report (Southern Cross University: 2005) 15. Native Police camps were established at Highbury in 1885 and in Coen in 1888, which helped European settlement advance further into Cape York.J Richards, The Secret War: A True History of Queensland’s Native Police(University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, 2008).
In 1874, the Mitchell River was considered as a potential location for a port to service the Palmer River Goldfields. The river was surveyed again in 1886, with a view to establishing a town to service the recently formed pastoral stations. However, neither of these surveys reportedly amounted to anything.Author unknown, 'Exploration of the Mitchell River', Brisbane Courier, 29 January 1874, 4; Author unknown, 'The Mitchell River', Brisbane Courier, 11 March 1886, 3. In 1896, it was argued that, as the land from Albatross Bay down to the Gilbert River was not needed for European settlement, there was no need to establish a mission in the area.Author unknown, 'Aboriginals of Queensland', Brisbane Courier, 21 October 1896, 6-7.
In 1900, the Church of England created the Diocese of Carpentaria, based on Thursday Island.N Loos, White Christ, Black Cross: the emergence of a black church (Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, 2007) 58. Securing a grant from the Queensland Government, Gilbert White (the first Bishop of the Diocese of Carpentaria), turned to Ernest Gribble for help in establishing a mission at Mitchell River. Gribble had considerable experience running the Yarrabah Mission near Cairns.P Freier, Living With the Munpitch: The history of Mitchell River Mission, 1905-196 (PhD Thesis, James Cook University, 1999) 101, 110 The land was gazetted as an Aboriginal reserve on 10 January 1903.P Freier, Living With the Munpitch: The history of Mitchell River Mission, 1905-196 (PhD Thesis, James Cook University, 1999), 126. In 1905, Gribble, Bishop White and their staff established a permanent mission at Mitchell River.P Freier, Living With the Munpitch: The history of Mitchell River Mission, 1905-196 (PhD Thesis, James Cook University, 1999), 146-149.
In 1923, the Mitchell River Mission superintendent, Joseph Chapman, began to visit the large, semi-permanent Aboriginal camp at the mouth of the Edward River.P Freier, Living With the Munpitch: The history of Mitchell River Mission, 1905-196 (PhD Thesis, James Cook University, 1999), 185-194, 202.
In 1924, The Queenslander reported that:Author unknown, 'New Mission Station', The Queenslander, 1 March 1924, 15."On the Edward River 50 miles north of the Mitchell River station, there are about 150 Aboriginals, who have had little association with whites. They live close to the sea, and behind them is a stretch of desert country, so that their habitation is more or less permanent. They have shown a decided tendency in the direction of agriculture, and any seeds given them have been cared for and planted. A Mission station has been started for the care and instruction of these people".Chapman continued to visit the site during the 1920s, but the establishment of a permanent mission station was stalled because the Diocese of Carpentaria was unable to find the necessary funds.Author unknown, 'Church News', Brisbane Courier, 23 February 1929, 7. Chapman was keen to extend the missionary influence to the Edward River, to block attempts to have the area thrown open to pastoral selection.P Freier, Living With the Munpitch: The history of Mitchell River Mission, 1905-196 (PhD Thesis, James Cook University, 1999), 202. Anglican missionary, Walter Daniels, attempted to establish a mission station at Coleman River during 1932, but this attempt also failed. In 1939, Joseph Chapman returned to the Edward River to establish a permanent mission station.
By the late 1940s, the mission had a population of 301.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1946 (1946) 1. The mission was largely self-sufficient with palm leaf houses and a farm that grew bananas, palms, sweet potatoes, yams, sugar cane and kitchen vegetables.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1949 (1949) 30. The Aboriginal residents built fish traps and canoes that were used to supply the mission with fish.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1947 (1947) 24. In 1950, cattle were introduced for meat, after 20 square miles of the reserve was fenced.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1950 (1950) 52.
Under the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897, which granted the Home Secretary the power "to cause Aboriginals within any district to be removed to and kept within the limits of any reserve situated in the same or any other district";Christopher Anderson, 'Queensland Aboriginal Peoples Today' in J.H. Holmes (ed.) Queensland: A Geographical Interpretation (1986) 296-320. there were 11 recorded removals from Edward River Mission to Palm Island.Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Community and Personal Histories Removals database (access restricted).
In the early days of the mission, the children were sent to Mitchell River Mission School. In 1950, a school was constructed at the Edward River Mission, and Reverend Brown commenced service as the teacher. By 1953, 32 students were enrolled, mostly young children.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1953 (1953) 47. The older Edward River children continued to go to Mitchell River Mission and, into the 1960s, were still being housed in the Mitchell River dormitories for the purpose of schooling.SRS505/1/7557, 18A/20, Admin, Edward River, Transfer to State, Cabinet decision dated 17 May 1966.
St Mary and St Edward the Confessor Anglican Church opened in 1950. Following cyclone damage in 1964, it was demolished. The construction of a new brick church was commenced in 1969, but did not open until circa December 1971.
In January 1952, the mission was hit by a cyclone and every building except the superintendent's house was either blown down or badly damaged. It took several years for the mission to be completely rebuilt.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1952 (1952) 42; Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1954 (1954) 45.
In 1956, a cattle manager was appointed to establish a herd of mixed breeding cattle.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1956 (1965) 58. Cattle produced were used for domestic consumption and the surplus sent to Mitchell River to be sold with their cattle.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1958 (1958) 55; Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1960 (1960) 45. By 1964, cattle-raising was the main industry of the mission, which was run by Aboriginal stockmen supervised by head stockman, Jim Kendall.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30th June, 1964 (1964) 20.
Mission superintendent, Joseph Chapman, returned to Mitchell River Mission in 1957 and was replaced by Reverend Pidsley, who was subsequently replaced by Gordon Green in 1958.Queensland, Native Affairs – Information contained in Report of Director of Native Affairs for the Twelve Months ended 30 June 1957 (1957) 47; Above n 33, 54.