New South Wales: Protectors' reports


The Aborigines Welfare Board (formerly the Aborigines Protection Board) was the main NSW state government agency responsible for implementing and administering the laws and policies affecting Aboriginal people in NSW from 1883 to 1969. For more information on the Board go to the State Records NSW fact sheet.
The policies of the Board controlled most parts of Aboriginal people’s lives, from the removal of children, access to health, education, employment and housing of Aboriginal people on stations and reserves.

The Board was responsible for the removal of over five thousand Aboriginal children from their families. In many cases, the children were placed directly into forced service as domestic or farm labourers or they were put into children’s homes, such as Bomaderry Childrens Home, Cootamundra Girls Home and Kinchela Boys Home (Kempsey).

Until it was abolished in 1969, the Board kept detailed records on individual children and families that were removed, including correspondence, school reports, educational and health information. Not all these records, however, have survived. View the Department of Aboriginal Affairs Family Records Unit Fact Sheet on the Welfare Board files.


Legislative Assembly. New South Wales.
Reproduced by permission of NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

Users are warned that these documents may contain words or descriptions which reflect the author's attitude or that of the period in which the item was written. These may be considered inappropriate today in some circumstances. Users should also be aware that these reports contain images and other references to deceased people which may cause sadness or distress, particularly to the relatives of these people.

Manual of Instructions to Managers and Matrons of Aboriginal Stations and Other Field Officers


Protection of the Aborigines (report of the board):



Aborigines Protection Board (report for the year 1903) (972 kb)


Aborigines, Report of Board for the Protection of, for year :


Aborigines, Report of Board for the Protection of, for the period 1st January 1919, to 30th June 1920 (1420 kb)

Aborigines, Report of Board for the Protection of, for the period 1st July 1920, to 30th June 1921 (1766 kb)


Aborigines, Report of Board for Protection of, for the year ended 30th June:


Aborigines Welfare Board, Annual Report for the year ended 30th June:

  • 1940 (1686 kb)
  • 1941 (1495 kb)
  • 1941-42 - Not Printed: Tabled in NSW Parliament
  • 1942-43 - Not Printed: Tabled in NSW Parliament
  • 1944 (1902 kb)
  • 1945 (1739 kb)
  • 1946 (1000 kb)
  • 1947 (1240 kb)
  • 1948 (1157 kb)
  • 1949 (1222 kb)
  • 1950 (1708 kb)
  • 1951 (0 kb)
  • 1952 (1943 kb)
  • 1953 (1708 kb)
  • 1954 (1549 kb)
  • 1955 (1206 kb)
  • 1956 (928 kb)
  • 1957 (921 kb)
  • 1958 (1204 kb)
  • 1959 (1204 kb)

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