This is an article from The Lutheran dated 13 April 1992 titled:

Finke River Mission to Take Over Aboriginal College

ALICE SPRINGS, NT, April 1992 – The Finke River Mission (FRM) will assume responsibility for Yirara College from the beginning of the 1993 school year, marking a significant development in Lutheran education and Aboriginal ministry.

The Northern Territory Government invited churches to submit proposals to operate the residential college, with FRM’s submission receiving strong support from Aboriginal communities, the Central Land Council and the college’s policy-making body, the Kirda.

Established in 1975, Yirara College serves Aboriginal students from remote communities across the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. At the time of the announcement, the college accommodated around 200 students representing 16 Aboriginal language groups.

FRM pledged to work closely with Aboriginal people in the administration and governance of the college, maintaining strong Aboriginal representation through existing structures. An interim board was already in place, chaired by former Canberra Grammar School principal Paul McKeown, while FRM staff member John Heffernan had been appointed deputy principal.

With an annual budget of approximately $3 million, funded jointly by the Northern Territory and Federal governments, Yirara was expected to continue receiving government support following the transition.

The move was seen as an important step in strengthening Lutheran involvement in education and mission among Aboriginal communities. FRM manager Merv James said staff believed God was leading the mission into this new responsibility, adding that “faith, conviction and prayer” would be essential in carrying out the work.

The transfer of management represented a major milestone in the history of Yirara College and the Lutheran Church’s partnership with Aboriginal communities throughout Central Australia.

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 Today, Yirara College remains a significant Lutheran boarding school in Alice Springs, serving Aboriginal students from remote communities across Central Australia and beyond. It continues to operate under the auspices of the Finke River Mission and the Lutheran Church of Australia, more than three decades after the transition reported in The Lutheran in 1992.

The college provides education and boarding for Indigenous students aged 12 years and older from remote communities. Its mission combines academic learning, boarding and wellbeing programs, Christian faith formation, and support for students’ cultural identity and heritage.

According to the college’s current principal, Wesley Meurant, Yirara seeks to create a community where Aboriginal young people can grow academically, personally and spiritually. The college emphasises respect, belonging, pastoral care and resilience, while recognising and celebrating the diverse cultural backgrounds of its students.

The school’s history page notes that since becoming a Lutheran college in 1993, Yirara has continued to receive strong support from Aboriginal families throughout Central Australia and, in more recent years, from communities in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

Yirara remains an important ministry of the Lutheran Church. Its ongoing significance is highlighted as Lutheran World Federation General Secretary Rev Dr Anne Burghardt will include a visit to Yirara College during her September 2026 visit to Australia.

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For more stories like this and reflections back to our past, visit Flashback Friday Archives – Lutheran Church of Australia