Pallottine Mission Reunion in Geraldton, WA

The Collection Access team attended the Pallottine Mission Reunion in Geraldton, W.A.,
from 25-26 October 2023 at the request of Yorgum Healing Services.

On 22 July 2017, Father Eugene San, Pallottine’s Regional Leader, donated the Pallottine
Mission Tardun collection to AIATSIS. The collection includes a significant amount of
Pallottine Mission and Wandalgu Hostel material, such as the manuscript MS 5150 Pallottine
Mission, Tardun WA, photographs, audio recordings containing language recordings, and
student records.

The reunion took place at the Bundiyarra Aboriginal Community Aboriginal Corporation.
Four staff members, including Lisa Marcussen, Lisa Smith, Blake Allan, and Phil KhaluReindl,
were present to assist the students in accessing the AIATSIS collection material. The ex-
students were able to view photographs of Tardun Mission activities, such as sporting
events, camping trips, portraits, daily life, craft and pottery, and NAIDOC week celebrations.

The reunion began with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, followed by the ex-
students sharing their stories in a powerful and moving way. It was an emotional experience
for the ex-students and the AIATSIS staff, who helped them access their records and
photographs.

Colleen from Yorgum Healing Services expressed her gratitude: “I want to say a big thank
you for being a part of the Tardun Mission Reunion. I believe that it was a big success having
you and your team there. The community members who attended on the day really enjoyed
being able to get photos and other information from you.”