- The Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory announced the sale of St Mary’s Hostel in Alice Springs
- The hostel housed hundreds of Aboriginal children from 1946 to 1972
- Survivors asked for the chapel to be gifted to them
- They also asked for 10 per cent of the proceeds for family programmes
Former residents of a church-run hostel in Alice Springs are asking the Anglican Church to give them a share of the site as it is sold, ABC News reported in December 2022.
St Mary’s Church of England Hostel, on the outskirts of Alice Springs, housed hundreds of Aboriginal children between 1946 and 1972. The Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory announced the sale in October 2022, citing financial pressures. The property was leased to Community Housing Central Australia. Bishop Greg Anderson said: “The costs of maintaining the site…were just beyond us.”
Survivors asked the church to gift the chapel to former residents and their families, build a memorial in front of it, and put 10 per cent of the sale proceeds into programmes connecting families to the site.
“They’re stealing the place away from us,” said Eileen Moseley, a Pitjantjatjara woman and former resident. Daniel Forrester, a former resident, said: “This is our place. All through here, I feel their spirits still with us.” Ronda Ross, an Arrernte woman, said: “You kind of take it for granted. It’s always going to be there.”
St Mary’s shows that church property can carry deep meaning for the people who lived there, beyond its market value. Jamaica has former church-run children’s homes, schools and mission stations with similar histories. Before selling such sites, churches should talk to former residents and local communities about memorials, access or shared use.
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