Former St Mary's Hostel site recognised as key Stolen Generations place

Former St Mary's Hostel in Alice Springs heritage listed as significant Stolen Generations sites Thu 2 Jul 2026 at 2:33pm In short: One of the Northern Territory's most significant Stolen Generations sites has been permanently heritage-listed. The NT government says the broader site will still be used for social and affordable housing, with heritage protections in place. What's next? The St Mary's Stolen Generations Committee hopes the Yellow Cottage can become a learning centre for Stolen Generations history. When Anne Ronberg returned to the former St Mary's Hostel site in Alice Springs, she took in the chapel, the Yellow Cottage and the ghost gum known as the Tree of Knowledge, also called the Mother Tree. For Ms Ronberg, a former resident of the hostel and director of the St Mary's Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation, the site is not just a collection of buildings. It is a place of trauma, memory and childhood. "I spent 12 years here," she said. "I was one of those kids who was brought in under the assimilation laws, and I couldn't go home. "I didn't have a home to go to, so St Mary's was my home." A physical reminder of assimilation policies The NT government has declared more than 2.5 hectares of the former St Mary's Hostel site as a Heritage Place, including St Mary's Chapel and its Robert Czakó mural, the Yellow Cottage, the remnant fireplace and chimney from the original mission building, the Tree of Knowledge and associated cultural landscapes. The listing permanently protects one of the territory's most significant places connected to the Stolen Generations. The hostel was established by the Church of England in 1946 as a boarding facility for Aboriginal children from remote communities to attend school in Alice Springs. A heritage assessment found it later became one of four Northern Territory missions funded by the Commonwealth to implement policies aimed at assimilating Aboriginal children of mixed descent into a non-Aboriginal way of life. The assessment said St Mary's was the most intact surviving example of those missions, making it one of the most important physical reminders of those policies in the NT. It found the institutionalisation of children at St Mary's led to the loss of family and kinship relationships, and loss of knowledge of language, Country and culture. Painful and loving memories Former Alice Springs Anglican parish priest Brian Jeffries, who has supported former residents in efforts to protect St Mary's Chapel, said the site carried both painful and loving memories. "There's a happiness in one way, because you've developed a family by living here," he said. "And then there's a deep sadness and something missing in your life that you didn't have, which is hard to express." Mr Jeffries said protecting the site meant the history of assimilation policies, and their impact on former residents, would not be forgotten. Ms Ronberg said many children at St Mary's formed deep bonds with each other because they were separated from their families, language and Country. "As the years passed, I started bonding with the children here," she said. "They became my family." Years of advocacy The heritage listing follows years of advocacy from former residents, who in 2022 told the ABC they feared losing access to the former hostel after the Anglican Diocese announced plans to sell the property. Ms Ronberg said the St Mary's Stolen Generations Committee was "stoked" by the outcome, but said the listing was only the start of further work. "We were quite surprised that the whole site was heritage listed because we were only putting in for a short part of this site," she said. The committee hopes to establish a memorial at St Mary's to honour mothers, families and communities who had children removed and placed at the hostel. Former resident Mary Shadford said the memorial would acknowledge the lasting harm caused by removal policies. "This removal has had a lasting devastating impact on us, which is felt today,"she said. "We are getting a lot older and we expect that our younger people step up and continue to keep this place going for us." A place for truth-telling and learning Ms Ronberg said the group also wanted the Yellow Cottage to become a learning centre for former residents, families, schools and the broader community, as St Mary's continues to feature in the memories and lives of Stolen Generations survivors. "Mainly to provide education to the town, the schools, about the Stolen Generations," she said. Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment Joshua Burgoyne said the declaration recognised the importance of the site to former residents, Arrernte people and the wider community. "It holds deep importance and meaning," he said. Mr Burgoyne said the broader site would remain part of the government's social and affordable housing plans, supported by $14 million in Australian government funding for enabling infrastructure works. "We are demonstrating that we can protect our heritage while delivering outcomes that support Territorians," he said. Ms Ronberg said further discussions were needed about the housing plans. "Hopefully we can work in with the government to accomplish our goals and aspirations for St Mary's, for the Stolen Generations people of St Mary's," she said.