For over 20 years, First Nations Bush Chaplain Julia Lennon (Picured) has faithfully served the people of Oodnadatta. The town, 1000 km north of Adelaide, once a bustling railhead, is now a home to an indigenous community.
Without a permanent space, Lennon led Sunday school and services from lounge rooms, sheds and open paddocks often under harsh outback conditions. Thanks to the support of three arms of the Uniting Church – Frontier Services; the SA Regional Council of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC or Congress); the SA Synod and dozens of dedicated volunteers – their community’s long-held dream of a dedicated community gathering space has become reality.
“This church isn’t just a building, it stands on land with deep meaning and serves as a place for healing, connection, culture and Country,” Pastor Lennon said.
The land where the new church and garden now stands once housed the original 1924 United Aboriginal mission home which later became known as the Colebrook Homes. The picture shows the site before work began.
The new, steel-framed and colorbond building fits around 100 as a meeting place. Here’s a picture of Frontier services staff in front of it, showing how substantial the new building is.
The Bringing Them Home report describes Colebrook “The children taken into Colebrook included some who were placed there by their traditional mothers or non-Indigenous fathers because that parent was unable to care for them, those who had been taken from their families by non-Indigenous people to work for them and then ejected when their services were no longer wanted and children who were forcibly removed by government officials.”
Two of Lowitja O’Donoghue’s brothers were placed in the home at Oodnadatta as infants, by their white stockman father. After the home moved to Quorn, Lowitja and other siblings was placed there by the Aborigines Protection Board.
The transformation of this site into a sanctuary for community gatherings and spiritual growth marks a powerful act of reclamation and healing from the site’s past trauma.
Part of the project involved transforming and clearing a vacant, debris-filled block to create a community healing garden. Volunteers built shaded areas, fire pits and wicking garden beds designed as safe spaces for recreation, storytelling, cultural gatherings and reflection – particularly between Elders and young people.
The new development also serves as a multifunctional space, offering both kitchen facilities and internet connectivity. The latter is a transformative feature in a region – where digital access is often limited – now supporting significantly improved access to education, telehealth and other vital services.
Oodnadatta, once a thriving railway town, has been semi-abandoned since the train station closed decades ago. Today it faces significant social and economic challenges, compounded by geographic isolation. Projects such as Frontier Services’ church and healing garden are vital in restoring community strength and providing essential spaces for spiritual, cultural and emotional wellbeing for all residents.
Image: Bush Chaplain for Oodnadatta Julia Lennon