Mounsey on page 395 of Aboriginal Education -A new Dawning, refers to ‘education institutions set up by the Aboriginal Protection Boards (APB)or previously Protector of Natives (PN), were established through the authority of religious groups, received financial support from the government and primarily provided instructed programmes that were considered useful skills for Aboriginals to gain’. Mr Burrage managed the APB’s Moonahcullah Station, but he also had a teaching position at the stations Aboriginal school.

Attwood et al (1994) on page 4, claims that these churchmen or missionaries believed that ‘as a superior race, Europeans had a Christian duty towards Aborigines and the latter, were capable of being ‘Christianised and civilised’. Removal of Aboriginal children to these reserves or stations was thought, by Europeans’ as the only way and means to successfully assimilate Aborigines to European practices. (Attwood et al (1994) p.4)The Burrage’s felt obligated to the Aboriginal people to provide a good education and keep peace and order on the APB’s Moonahcullah Station.

Religious groups frequented these stations, reserves or missions to spread the word of their God, and ‘domesticate and raise’ Aboriginals ‘through religious instructions, secular training, and virtues of hard work, thrift and sobriety through frequent, repetitious and forceful means’. (Attwood et al (1994). p. 4) Typical of the era, Mr Burrage found conflicts between duties of managing the station and maintaining his teaching obligations, but was sympathetic and adopted the sociocultural theory to teaching Aboriginal children through provision of nature studies in his teaching program. This was before changes in curriculum to cater for the different learning style of Aboriginal people.

The Burrage’s were sympathetic to the plight of the Aboriginal people, and even though Mr Burrage was employed to uphold the policies and legislation put in place by APB, he made allowances for the Aboriginal people. The ignorance and stereotyping of Aboriginal people by Europeans forced some to come and go from the stations on a regular basis but that did not concern the Burrage’s as mentioned on page 156 when Mr Burrage is told by an inspector to expel an Aborigine off the station. Mr Burrage opted to send the Aborigine for a holiday, as he regarded this Aborigine to be a good citizen.

Ethnohistory of the era from Burrage’s children can only be relied upon as there are no documentation of the Burrage’s in any of the recollections of Aboriginals of that era, only Elsie’s inference that ‘Dad was very good to the children ....they enjoyed their schooling’ (Attwood et al (1994). p. 153) It may be said that the Burrage children may have been ‘concerned with justifying their parents’ ideas and attitudes and actions, especially in the face of recent criticisms of such people.’ of that era. (Attwood et al (1994). p. 211)

These educational institutions set up by the Aboriginal Protection Boards (APB) and those employed by the APB, such as the Burrage’s, had the Aborigines interest at heart, ‘primarily providing instructed programmes that were considered useful skills for Aboriginals to gain.’ (Mounsey. (1980). p.395) Policies and legislation set in place hindered interaction of European and Aboriginal people on a social level and formal education always came second best to the duties that needed to be fulfilled to ensure working order of the stations, reserves or missions.



References:
Mounsey, C. F, (1980) Aboriginal Education-A New Dawning. In R. & C. Berndt. Aborigines of the West. Their Past and Present (pp394-404). University of WA Press: Perth.

Attwood, B., et al, (1994) “Excerpts taken from...”A Life Together, A Life Apart: A History of Relations Between Europeans And Aborigines. Melbourne University Press.