Croker Island Aboriginal Children at Otford during WWII
In 1942, 95 Aboriginal children from a mission station, along with their 3 cottage mothers, escaped the threat of Japanese invasion. Travelling from Croker Island, Northern Territory by foot, boat, canoe, truck and train, the children arrived in Otford. There, they lived at the Methodist Conference Centre and attended local schools until 1946.
Photographs provided by the State Library of NSW, the Helensburgh Historical Society and the Powell family were brought together in this exhibition during NAIDOC Week 2021 documenting this important time in local history.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this page contains images and names of deceased persons.
To view images and their captions, go to the slideshow below
or click on individual images within the gallery.
Online puzzles based on the images can be foundhere.
To see more images from the Wollongong City Libraries’ Illawarra Images collection or to order high resolution copies of images, go to:
P32850 – Some Croker Island girls.P32851 – Some Croker Island boys.P32852 – Some Croker Island children at the camp.P32853 – A group photograph of some of the Croker Island children.P32854 – A small group of the Croker Island boys.P32855 – A group photograph of the Croker Island girls.P32856 – A group photograph of the senior girls.P32857 – Rona Powell, teacher, with two girls on visit to Sydney.P32858 – Superintendent of Croker Island Children’s home, Miss J. K. March, supervising the sewing work of Violet Ellison.P32859 – Miss Margret Somerville teaches art to Kitty Goodall.P32860 – Washing vegitables in the kitchen.P32861 – Delsey Rotumbah helps bath younger children.P32862 – Principal of Scarborough Public School, Mr A. A. Carter, teaching class.P32863 – Senior girls helps settle younger children in beds in one of 4 dormitories.P32864 – Dorothy Anderson (17) helps feed Harold Flynn.P32865 – Meal time in the dining room at the Crusader’s camp.P32866 – Children saying grace at meal.P32867 – Children reading in class.P32868 – Children in writing class.P32869 – Children playing ball.P32870 – Ball games in the playground.P32871 – Handstand race.P32872 – Billy cart fun.P32873 – Handstand fun on the stairs.P32874 – Playing Vigoro.P32875 – Playing Vigoro.P32876 – Playing at school.P32877 – Running in the playground.P32878 – Morning milking.P32879 – Bob Randall milking cow.P32880 – Children working in Vegetable garden.P32881 – Children working in Vegetable garden.P32882 – Children working in Vegetable garden.P32883 – Children working in Vegetable garden.P32884 – Children working in Vegetable garden.P32885 – Friends on stairs.P32886 – Friends Mavis Kelso (L) and Ruby Brawn resdingP32887 – Friends Mavis Kelso (L) and Ruby Brawn.
