Church at Groote Eylandt Mission, Church Missionary Society 1958.
W. Pederson – The National Library of Australia
The missionaries knew that manganese was on the island and they applied for a permit to explore. When BHP expressed an interest in mining, the missionaries used their rights to negotiate on behalf of the Warnindilyakwa people.
The missionaries believed that the Warnindilyakwa were the true owners of the land and that mining on their land should be for their benefit and development. They had a very big vision: they wanted the Warnindilyakwa people to prosper from mining for many generations – even after mining finished.
In 1963 the Church Missionary Society and BHP agreed on royalty payments to allow mining. The agreement was not for one payment, but for a share of the profits as long as the mining continued.
In 1965, BHP began mining and paying royalties to the Church Missionary Society. The missionaries wanted the Warnindilyakwa people to benefit from the profits of mining, to improve their lives and have a say in how the money would be spent.
In 1969, they established the Groote Eylandt Aboriginal Trust. Since then, GEAT has operated as a charitable trust for the benefit of the Warnindilyakwa people and bound by its Trust Deed and Constitution.
GEAT acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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