Making their Gospel known: the work and legacy of the Aboriginal Inland Mission, 1905-1938

Abstract

This thesis examines the work of the Aboriginal Inland Mission between its origins in Singleton in 1905 and the founding of its first Indigenous training college in 1938. It looks at its place in the history of faith missions, evangelical Christianity and white intervention in Aboriginal lives in Australia at the turn of the century. This includes a localised study of the AIM in the Singleton region, and their administration of a Children’s Home. It contends that while the AIM was complicit in attempts to assimilate Aboriginal people, it was also radical in its compassionate attitude, as well as offering opportunities for leadership and networking.