Indigenous community mourns Stolen Generation mission site destroyed by fire

Parts of the WA's Indigenous community are in mourning after a former mission where members of the Stolen Generation were institutionalised was partly destroyed in a bushfire.

Warning: this story contains photographs of Indigenous people who may have died.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services confirmed seven buildings at Mogumber Mission, previously known as the Moore River Native Settlement, have been destroyed.

Yued woman Stephanie Mippy's traditional country surrounds the former mission, 120 kilometres north of Perth.

She said the loss of buildings, including the old church, was a devastating blow.

"It's like someone desecrating your house and burning your house down with everything in it," she said.

"That's our connection; to lose that connection, when a lot of people lost connection to culture from being placed there, is so upsetting."

Ms Mippy's grandparents were removed from their family and taken to the mission as part of the Stolen Generation.

"The elders are saddened — that was their connection to their families," she said.

The fireground included a cemetery where many of Ms Mippy's family members were buried.

"Some graves were known because of tree landmarks but now, if that is all gone, they aren't going to know where their loved ones are," she said.

Ms Mippy said a reunion of survivors of the Stolen Generation held at the Mogumber Mission in 2018 helped elders reclaim the site with joyful memories.

"They're not just survivors, they're heroes in my eyes," she said. 

"The smiles on their faces when they reunited up there said it all.

The historical site, dating back to 1917, was a government-run institution where Aboriginal children, forcibly removed from their families, were taken.

It is described on the Heritage Council website as "arguably the most important site in Western Australia representing the physical representation of government policies, social attitudes and racist theories towards Aboriginal people throughout the 20th century".

Kevin Barron was born on the Mogumber Mission in 1945.

His mother was removed from the state's north and transported to the mission.

"Some people called it home, others called it hell on earth," he said.

"I have a lot of good memories of that place and they stay with me today.

"I loved the place and even now when I go back I can still hear the kids playing.

"We enjoyed ourselves down the river swimming and catching fish, as well as going to school."

Mr Barron said he hoped the site could be restored and transformed following the fire, honouring the history of the site.

"I would like the place to be rebuilt into a training centre for the younger generation to learn about our past and what took place on the mission," he said.

"This is a very important place for Aboriginal people and when DFES say it is safe to return, I want to go back — I will go back."