- Oombulgurri Community, Western Australia
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Oombulgurri
Western Australia
OombulgurriPopulation: 7 (as of March 2011)[1] Established: 1970s Postcode: 6740 Elevation: 385 m (1,263 ft) Location: LGA: Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley State District: Kimberley Federal Division: Durack Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 33.1 °C
92 °F18.6 °C
65 °F1,106.6 mm
43.6 inCoordinates: 15°10′52″S 127°50′45″E / 15.1812°S 127.8458°E
Oombulgurri, also written as Umbulgara, is an Aboriginal community in the eastern Kimberley. The nearest town is Wyndham, which is 45 kilometres (28 mi) to the southeast; the nearest major town is Kununurra, which is 120 kilometres (75 mi) to the southeast.
As of early 2011, the immediate future of the community is uncertain. The government of Western Australia has encouraged residents of Oombulgurri to move elsewhere as it considers the community "unviable".[2] As of 2 March 2011, only seven residents remained in the community; it previously had a population of 107 as of the 2006 census.[1][3][4]
Contents
History
Mission establishment
The Anglican Forrest River Mission for Aborigines was founded in 1896–97 by Harold Hale but was abandoned after a few months. A permanent mission, known as the Forrest River Mission, was established on the site in 1913 by the bishop of the north west, the Rt. Rev. Gerard Trower. In December 1913, Anglican priest Ernest Gribble took charge, three years after he was forced to resign as superintendent at Yarrabah. Gribble remained as superintendent until the early 1930s.
The mission was plagued by an influenza epidemic in 1926. Also in that year, there was a massacre where a police party killed several Aboriginal people. However, the exact events of the massacre are uncertain.
The mission was closed in 1969, after the 1967 Aboriginal referendum.
In 1973, fifty Aboriginal people decided to resettle their abandoned tribal land and rename it Oombulgurri. Within a year, the population had grown to 200. Infrastructure and welfare programs were set up in the 1970s and 1980s to provide the residents with basic amenities and to allow the town to become self-sufficient.
Coronial Inquest into Aboriginal Deaths
In 2007 a Coronial Inquiry began into Aboriginal deaths in the Kimberley, including five in Oombulgurri. [5] [6] [7] [8] It revealed high levels of alcohol abuse, suicide and child neglect in Oombulgurri. Some time after the inquest, alcohol was banned there.[4]
Child sex investigation
A Police task force operation sheepshank began after a report was compiled on an alleged paedophile ring at the Aboriginal community of Kalumburu, in the Kimberley resulting in arrests of three men and a juvenile from Oombulgurri. [9] [10] [11] [12]
Possible closure
In October 2010, the government of Western Australia announced plans to close the community of Oombulgurri as its population had decreased from 150 to less than 50.[4] The government is considering a number of proposals about the community's future Once all the residents have moved out, including converting it into a tourism retreat or a juvenile justice facility.[2] On 1 March 2011, the community's only store was dismantled and removed by boat. As of 2 March 2011, only seven residents still remained in Oombulgurri.[1]
Access
Oombulgurri is only reliably accessible by boat or by air, as the unsealed road leading to the town is washed out most of the year due to the wet season. There is an airstrip nearby for light aircraft.
Notes
- ^ a b c "Last Oombulgurri residents determined to stay". ABC News. 2 March 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/02/3153391.htm. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Plans afoot for remote Oombulgurri community". ABC News. 21 February 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/23/3146388.htm. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Oombulgurri (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=SSC55171&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
- ^ a b c "Oombulgurri could be shut down". ABC News. 14 October 2010. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/14/3038153.htm. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ^ Kimberley coronial inquests extended
- ^ The Western Australian coroner is set to visit Oombulgurri today as part of an inquest into five Aboriginal deaths at the remote Kimberley community.
- ^ Inquest hears damning evidence
- ^ Homes danger to occupants
- ^ Former Aboriginal community leader arrested on child sex charges
- ^ Three people from the remote Kimberley Aboriginal community of Oombulgurri have been charged with child sex offences.
- ^ Community denies trying to thwart child abuse investigation
- ^ Police lay more child sex offences in Kimberley
References
- Book review of related books, accessed 9 November 2005
- Western Australian education records summary (pdf), accessed 9 November 2005
- Guide to indigenous records(pdf file), accessed 9 November 2005
- Wyndham/Oombulgurri parish, accessed 10 November 2005
- Aboriginal Lands trust estate (pdf file), accessed 10 November 2005
- Community development program, accessed 10 November 2005
External links
Categories:- Towns in Western Australia
- Indigenous Australian communities
- Kimberley (Western Australia)
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