(Warning: This story contains content some people may find distressing)
The Diocese of Broome recently held a memorial tree planting ceremony – using funds received from the Mary MacKillop Today 2024 Community Grants program – in the community of Warmun, in the Kimberley region of WA. The ceremony was attended by some of the local Sisters of Saint Joseph and Bishop Michael Morrissey.
A new bloodwood tree, planted as part of the ceremony, was to replace an old ‘Whipping Tree’ – a significant landmark for the Kija people (the original owners of the land) that had stood in its place for hundreds of years. The ‘Whipping Tree’ in Warmun has long been a site of anguish for the Kija people, who recall seeing loved ones, across generations, tied to it and whipped by local police.
In the 1979, the Sisters of Saint Joseph established the Ngalangangpum (Mother and Child) Catholic School with the people of Warmun near the ‘Whipping Tree’, to create a place of healing and forgiveness. This tree reminded the people of Warmun and the school community of the hard history that the Kija people had endured but also the freedom and healing that forgiveness can bring to the Warmun community. Sadly, in 2011, a massive flood hit Warmun damaging the ‘Whipping Tree’. It was infested with termites and was dangerous – so it had to be replaced with a new memorial.
The Diocese were successful in securing a Community Grant and on the 2nd December 2024, the new bloodwood tree was planted and propagated and blessed by Bishop Michael. Josephite Sisters Alma Cabassi, Julianne Murphy and Theresa Morellini were all present on this special occasion.
The quote on the plaque in front of the tree reads “This is our place … at this place we remember the story of suffering, being chained and belted at this place. We remember and we forgive.”
