| PALLOTTINE HISTORY The start of Pallottine Centre Rossmoyne Mary Jackson put this report together, using three sources: Led By the Spirit (John Luemmen and Brigida Nailon), The Tardun Chronicle (1926 - 1964), and A Legacy of Love (B. Mulholland and M. Durack) The Tardun roots Pallottine Training Centre at Rossmoyne, WA, where so many young Aboriginal people learned the skills for surviving, and making a success, in a hostile society, started as what one could call an extension of Tardun. By 1955 it had become apparent that some boys who had done well at Tardun should be offered a chance to embark on further education, whether it be in some trades or in general education. It was with this in view that the Pallottines built a hostel in the Perth suburb of Rossmoyne.
Fr Gerhard with Brother William Engels and The Kimberley roots The Pallottines had established a base in Perth prior to this development. The missionaries in the North needed a place in Perth for doing business, spending their holidays and renewing their spirit; so in 1948, a house was bought at Rivervale. Father Leo Hornung was the first resident priest with Brother Herbert Beldermann as cook. Not long after that, Archbishop Prendeville approached the Pallottines to establish a new Parish in Riverton, a little populated area in the bush situated on low-lying land near the Canning River. Father Leo was appointed Parish Priest. In 1953 he built a church / school hall in Tribute Street but he still had to live in Rivervale as the new parish had no other building than that hall. Father Anthony Omasmeier succeeded Father Leo as Parish Priest in 1954. Rossmoyne The purchase of 5 acres of bushland in 5th Avenue, Riverton (later called Rossmoyne) and the building of a house there was the Pallottines’ answer to these diverse needs. They built a large 22-roomed brick building, with a chapel and a wing designed for accommodating nine Aboriginal boys. Another wing was to be the residence for the Parish Priest and a stopover place for Pallottines passing through Perth or spending their holidays away from the heat of the North. The complex was called the Pallottine Mission Centre, and was blessed and opened on 15 May 1955. The first boys and their Carer The first boys to take up residency at Rossmoyne were Joe Shea and Gordon Coomber from Tardun. They had completed their schooling and were keen to start an apprenticeship. They accompanied Father John Lümmen who had been appointed Parish Priest of Riverton and Rector of the new foundation. Fr John had been at Tardun since 11 April 1951 as Carer of the boarders and that they should succeed was his great aim. The beginning at Rossmoyne was hard. The two boys who came with Fr John were too old for starting a five-year apprenticeship and they also did not have the required Junior Certificate. So they couldn’t be placed anywhere and had to return to Tardun. Who would be eligible? One lad who had a shown an interest in continuing his schooling when he left Tardun was Harold Little. He was called to give it a try. Harold arrived by train from Mount Magnet and following a successful interview with the headmaster of the chosen school, started High School that same day.
Harold Little and Barry Cable Harold stayed at Rossmoyne for ten years until he married Cecilia Nannup and moved to his own house. After finishing High School he became an apprentice cabinetmaker. He was a very popular boy who loved playing football and at one stage was picked as a wingman by the Perth League Football Club. He enhanced his independence by buying a motorbike and later a second-hand Holden car, paid for with a loan from the bank. Harold grew into the Australian Society and was happy because he felt he was accepted for who he was. When he was teased on the football oval about being a “blackfella”, he would reply, “But I’ve got white teeth!” Doubts put to rest Not all people associated with the Rossmoyne venture were in favour of it. Some Pallottines insisted that the house in Rivervale was just right for their purpose. The Tardun Chronicle complained on 15 May 1955: “The opening of the new place at Riverton at a cost of $18,000 is a lot of money, and Tardun paid. That means that we have a heavy debt now.” In regard to boarding students in Perth the critics predicted, “The students will go walkabout. They will not stay for any length of time in a different climate, living in the white society’s way of life.” However, with the success of Harold and the first two boys from Broome - Joseph Roe and Philip Albert, applications came from everywhere. More and more boys joined. Finance As numbers increased, more land was acquired and buildings put up. Eventually the Centre accommodated 80 Aboriginal boys and girls in six separate houses. Finance for buildings, equipment, furniture, and vehicles was needed. Father John developed a system whereby one third came from the Native Welfare Department, one third from the West Australian Lotteries’ Commission and one third from the Pallottine Community – mostly from the “Misereor” collection of the Catholic Church in Germany, accessed through the Mission Office of the North German Province. Edith Little From the Centre’s beginning, Fr John had a strong Aboriginal co-operator in the person of Edith Little, Harold’s sister and also a former Tardun student. Edith was born in Dalwallinu on 17 August 1938 as the eldest of six children. The family, calling Mount Magnet their home, moved from station to station in the Murchison area, as employment became available. Edith gained her early education through correspondence lessons. For a short period she boarded at the Anglican Church’s Aboriginal Hostel in Geraldton. At the age of 11, Edith came to Tardun. After finishing year 7 she stayed on as working girl. In these years she learnt from the nuns much that helped her in her future role.
Edith Little in her final year at Tardun When the new house at Rossmoyne was preparing for its official opening, Fr Girke, the Rector at Tardun, asked her to go with him to the new centre to clean windows and do other domestic chores. From these simple beginnings emerged a great career. As an 18-year-old, with no formal training, Edith became housekeeper and co-planner of the new Hostel. Fr John heavily relied on her sound judgement and energetic approach to problem solving and made no major decision without consulting her. Edith became the Matron and House Mother of the place who cheerfully and efficiently coped with all challenges. She trained other staff and set the standards for the students’ conduct. She did the shopping and bookkeeping. She was the Centre’s enthusiastic sports mistress, social organiser and hostess, on call at all hours to take students and fellow workers here or there in the community car or school bus and to lend an understanding ear to the human problems of all who sought her advice.
Edith Little and Fr John Lümmen in 1969 Edith’s sudden and untimely death on 2 December 1975 at 37 years from a pulmonary embolism following surgery brought a great sense of shock, grief and loss to all who knew her. She was sadly missed by many, especially by Fr John. They had shared a great vision and a great journey, one that enhanced her own personal growth and development, the lives of the Aboriginal boys and girls in her charge and the community at large. Rossmoyne was not the same anymore.
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