A significant truth-telling and healing project relating to "one of Western Australia's most painful chapters" is set to begin, the state's government has announced.
A project detailing the history of the former Mogumber Mission has been commissioned with the WA government supporting the Yued Aboriginal Corporation to lead the first stage of the initiative.
Yued will develop a consultation plan for the site formerly known as the Moore River Native Settlement.
From its foundation in 1917, for many decades the site was home to Indigenous children forcibly removed from their families.
Mogumber holds deep cultural and historical significance for many Aboriginal Western Australians, including the Yued people and descendants of those who lived at, or were connected to, the settlement.
The state government said the project represents "an important step towards healing, creating opportunities for former residents, their families and Aboriginal communities to share their experiences, perspectives and aspirations for the future of the site".
Led by Traditional Owners, the project will support truth-telling, listening and healing, helping shape a vision for the future care, recognition and custodianship of the significant site.
Yued Elders, Traditional Owner representatives and Aboriginal communities and organisations from across Western Australia will co-design the scope and approach to consultation.
It will be administered by WA's Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage and the funding will support the development of a consultation plan, with the planning process expected to begin over coming months.
'This place needs to be healed'
Yued Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Sharna Meinertz said: "We are hoping to build on the legacy of the Bringing Them Home report, and on the superb research that has been undertaken by so many across the community, including Yokai and Curtin University, to comprehensively capture the stories of Mogumber Mission."
"Not all of those stories are of bad memories, but many, many of them are," she said on Thursday.
"This place needs to be healed, to be set on a path for the future with which we can all be at peace.
"The future custodians of this site must both respect Yued Boodja and honour the histories of so many families from across the traditional lands of Western Australia's first peoples."
Ms Meinertz said Yued Aboriginal Corporation hopes the project "will guide us on a shared vision for the site and the grant of trust to deliver that vision".
The project builds on the 100-year lease agreement between the Aboriginal Lands Trust and Yued Aboriginal Corporation, which provides Traditional Owners with the opportunity to pursue culturally informed agricultural development on more than 4,000 hectares of land at Mogumber Reserve.
Together, the initiatives aim to support Aboriginal self-determination and recognise the importance of Aboriginal-led stewardship in preserving history, strengthening cultural connections and shaping the future of the site.
'A powerful reminder of a difficult chapter'
WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Don Punch noted that "for many Aboriginal families, the former Mogumber Mission remains a powerful reminder of a difficult chapter in Western Australia's history".
"Truth-telling is an important part of healing, and this project will create space for those stories to be shared and respected," he said.
Mr Punch said the WA Government is "committed to supporting Aboriginal-led initiatives that promote healing, strengthen cultural connections and ensure Aboriginal voices guide the future of significant sites such as Mogumber".
"This project reflects our commitment to Aboriginal self-determination by enabling Yued Aboriginal Corporation to lead a process that honours the past, supports healing in the present and helps shape the future care and custodianship of the site," he said.
Last December bushfire destroyed seven of the buildings at the former mission site.
In October 2025, concerns over the conditions at a number of former mission sites, including Mogumber, sparked renewed calls for the sites to be used for truth-telling and healing projects.
