Margaret Anne Somerville

Margaret Anne Sommerville (24 September 1912 – 6 August 2014)^[1] worked as a 'cottage mother' at the Croker Island Mission which was run by the Methodist Overseas Mission. She is best remembered for her bravery in assisting with the evacuation of 95 Aboriginal children from there during World War II during the Bombing of Darwin. This evacuation is commonly referred to as the 'Croker Island Exodus'.

She returned to Croker Island in 1946 and remained there until 1965.^[2]

She recorded her experiences in the book: They crossed a continent : 3,000 miles with 95 children (1967).^[3]

She was also interviewed by the National Library of Australia in 2001 as part of the Bringing them home oral history project.^[4]

Early life

Somerville was born in Lismore in 1912 and was the daughter of James Herbert and Margaret Jessie Somerville.^[5] Her father was a Methodist Minister and they moved regularly throughout her childhood throughout New South Wales with the most time spent in Newcastle and Sydney. She had two younger brothers.^[2]

From her fathers influence, she was interested in missions from an early age and felt called to serve God in this way. In her oral history recording she recalls having particular skills in handwork, which she used to sell to local shops, and that she viewed these as the primary skills she had to offer in a mission role.^[4] Before moving to Croker Island she also used the sale of her handwork to fundraise for the Bible Society Australia.^[6]

She saw the role at Croker Island (Minjilang) advertised in the Missionary Review in August 1941 and, after applying she was initially afraid she would not be accepted to the role as she had no training. However, the Mission Society were looking for someone to teach the children cooking and sewing and these were areas where she did well so she was successful.^[4][5]

Life in the Northern Territory

Somerville began working at Croker Island Mission when it was first opened and arrived there in November 1941 when she was 29 years old. To take up the role she initially travelled to Darwin on the Merka, a journey of approximately 10 days, and then on to Goulburn Island (to pick up more children who had already been evacuated from Darwin) before then sailing on to Croker Island.^[4] Children at the home were from throughout the Northern Territory and many came from institutions such as The Bungalow (in Alice Springs) and the Pine Creek Home (in Pine Creek); they were all Aboriginal children who were considered 'half-caste' by the polices of the day.^[7]

In Croker Island work had not been completed on the accommodation or facilities and many were 'shells' with no flooring. The decision to move there was expedited by the lead up to the tropical Wet Season and, soon after, the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The time spent there was short-lived with a civilian evacuation order sent through on 13 February 1942 asking that all women and children leave the region at once. Darwin was bombed, for the first time in the war, on 19 February 1942 and, despite knowing the children had to be evacuated, there was no naval shipping available to assist them.^[5]

In March 1942 many of the children and missionaries were evacuated but Somerville elected to stay with the remaining children, alongside Jess March, Beryl Adams and Sister Olive Peake. On 7 April 1942 they were picked up by the Larrpan to begin their journey to Sydney. On this trip Somerville's practical skills were viewed as invaluable as she organised and assisted with the preparation of large amounts of food, preparing meals for 100 people in difficult conditions.^[5]

Their journey to Sydney took 6 weeks overland and Somerville's group included missionaries and 99 children (more had joined when they passed through Alice Springs).^[8]One child died of a cerebral haemorrhage following a fall at Oenpelli and Somerville discusses this incident in her oral history.^[5][4] They had walked to Oenpelli and went by army truck to Alice Springs and then via rail to Sydney.^[9]

When they arrived in Sydney Somerville was excited to present the children to her mother and recalled:^[10]

I don't know how we did it. It was just living one day at a time. I loved the work with the children. That was my calling and I believe it was right and I enjoyed every minute of it.

— Margaret Somerville, Interview with ABC Local

The children were sent to live at the Crusader's Camp in Otford and Somerville became an assistant supervisor there.^[11] During their time there two of the children were found to have leprosy and sent to Prince Henry Hospital and another died during surgery to remove his tonsils.^[4]

She returned to Croker Island in 1946, after the end of the war, and was the only original group of missionaries to do so. She worked there for 20 years as a 'cottage mother'.

Connie Cole, one of the children evacuated had nothing but praise for Somerville and said: "[s]he was the most wonderful woman that I ever come across".^[12]

Later life

In 1965 Somerville retired and returned to Sydney where she took care of her parents. Croker Island Mission closed soon after, in 1968, and children were transferred to Somerville Cottage Homes in Darwin and to placements interstate.^[7]

She continued to be involved in the church and mission activities. She visited the Northern Territory regularly.^[5]

She died 6 August 2014 at the age of 101 on the Central Coast, New South Wales).^[12]

Resources

• Somerville, Margaret & Forrest, Peter, 1941- & Methodist Church of Australasia. Department of Overseas Missions (1967). They crossed a continent : 3,000 miles with 95 children. Methodist Overseas Missions, [Sydney]
• Somerville, Margaret, 1912- & Heimans, Frank, 1943-. (2001). Margaret Somerville interviewed by Frank Heimans in the Bringing them home oral history project [sound recording]. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-218420997

A full list of Northern Territory Evacuees from Northern Territory, including the children from Croker Island, are available online through the National Archives of Australia via this link.^[13]

Recognition

• In 1966 she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to isolated children.^[14]
• In 1991 she received the Battle of Australia Medallion; she was the first Australian woman to do so.^[12]

Legacy

The Somerville Cottages, also known as the Somerville Homes, established by the Uniting Church and the Methodist Overseas Mission, were named for Somerville. These were six cottages, in the suburbs of Darwin, that accommodated children in a 'family group setting' under the care of cottage parents; they operated from 1968 until the 1980s.^{[15] [16]}

She is a signatory on the Darwin Commemorative Wall Quilt held by Library & Archives NT.^[17]

References

1. "Margaret Somerville, death notice". Northern Territory News. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
2. "Margaret Somerville interviewed by Franks Heimans in the Bringing Them Home Oral History Project - Summary | Find & Connect". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
3. Somerville, Margaret; Forrest, Peter, 1941-; Methodist Church of Australasia. Department of Overseas Missions (1967), They crossed a continent : 3,000 miles with 95 children, Methodist Overseas Missions, retrieved 13 December 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. Somerville, Margaret, 1912-; Heimans, Frank, 1943- (2001), Margaret Somerville interviewed by Frank Heimans in the Bringing them home oral history project [sound recording], retrieved 13 December 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
5. "Northern Territory Dictionary of Biography". Territory Stories. 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
6. "Passing of Miss Margaret Somerville | Uniting Church in Australia Northern Synod". 8 August 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
7. Find & Connect Web Resource Project, The University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic University. "Croker Island Mission - Organisation - Find & Connect - Northern Territory". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
8. "The Croker Island exodus - a bigger story than Gallipoli | Australia Explained". australia-explained.com.au. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
9. "Pioneer honoured for seflless work". Northern Territory News. 16 May 2001. p. 22.
10. "Margaret Somerville reflects on exodus 71 years ago - ABC (none) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
11. "Australian war refugees: half-caste children find friends". Trove. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
12. "Margaret Somerville, of Croker Island exodus, dead at 101". ABC News. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
13. Find & Connect Web Resource Project, The University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic University. "List of Northern Territory evacuees - Archival Series - Find & Connect - Northern Territory". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
14. Somerville, Margaret Anne. "Margaret Somerville". Territory Stories. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
15. Find & Connect Web Resource Project, The University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic University. "Somerville Cottage Homes - Organisation - Find & Connect - Northern Territory". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
16. "Our History - Somerville Community Services". https://somerville.org.au/. Retrieved 13 December 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
17. "The Darwin Commemorative War Quilt, Margaret Somerville". Margaret Somerville. Retrieved 13 December 2023.