John Flynn's Grave Historic Reserve Flynn [1] , Northern Territory | |
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John Flynn's Grave, Alice Springs, Australia | |
Nearest town or city | Alice Springs [2] : 4 |
Coordinates | 23°41′53″S133°49′09″E / 23.6981°S 133.8192°E Coordinates: 23°41′53″S133°49′09″E / 23.6981°S 133.8192°E [1] |
Established | 21 March 1957 [2] : 4 |
Area | 0.34 hectares (0.84 acres) [2] : 4 |
Managing authorities | Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory |
John Flynn's Grave Historical Reserve, more commonly referred to as Flynn's Grave is the grave site of John Flynn who was an Australian Presbyterian minister who founded the Australian Inland Mission (AIM) and founding the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The grave, which is now a historical reserve, is located at the base of Mount Gillen on Larapinta Drive in the Alice Springs suburb of Flynn. [1] [2]
The grave is also used as a marker to the start of the informal walk to the summit of Mount Gillen. [2] [3]
John Flynn died in Sydney on 5 May 1951 and, as requested, his ashes were flown to Alice Springs where they were buried in a temporary location near this site. A funeral was held here on 23 May 1951 with over 500 people in attendance. A more permanent grave was finalised in August 1953 when the urn containing his ashes was placed into a newly built monument and a boulder was placed over it. [2] Having a boulder covering the grave was chosen by his wife Jean Flynn, later also buried here (14 November 1976), who was motivated by the biblical story of a large rock being rolled over the grave of Jesus. [4] At this time a plaque was also placed on the grave saying that Flynn "brought gladness and rejoicing to the wilderness and the solitary places". [5]
An appropriate boulder could not be found nearby Alice Springs, and the surrounding MacDonnell Ranges, and one was chosen from the Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve located 400 kilometres (250 mi) north. This eight-tonne boulder was taken without permission from the Traditional Owners of the site, the Warumungu and Kaytetye people. The Warumungu and Kaytetye believe that these boulders have extraordinary powers and that their damage, or removal, can have life threatening consequences for them. Additional concerns were also raised by Arrernte people, in Alice Springs, who were concerned with the presence of this sacred stone on their land. [4]
Following the completion of the grave John Flynn's Grave Historical Reserve was proclaimed on 21 March 1957 under the Crown Lands Act and again under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act on 30 June 1978. [2] The primary focus of the reserve and its historical significance relates to John Flynn's Grave but it is also the site of the Alkate Hills, an Arrernte sacred site, which covers most of the area. [4]
In 1972 four young men, 1 plasterer and 3 bakers, were charged with 'malicious damage to a monument to the dead' following vandalisation of the grave, in the early hours of 1 January, which they covered in psychedelic designs. The then Mayor of Alice Springs, Jock Nelson, called their actions a "completely brainless and stupid act". [6]
Dissatisfaction with the use of the sacred stone continued and in 1980-1981 meetings were held between the Uniting Church and various Aboriginal representatives were held and it was agreed that a search would commence for a replacement boulder although controversy following this agreement meant that this did not happen at this time. [4]
Negotiation recommenced in 1996 between Central Land Council, the Uniting Church, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the NT. After considerable effort and input a suitable rock was identified in late 1998 and the Warumungu\Kaytetye stone was replaced with an Arrernte one; this time associated with Yeperenye (Caterpillar) Dreaming. The Arrernte people allowed this boulder to be used as a "sincere sign of reconciliation" despite its own significance to their people. [4] The boulder from Karlu Karlu was returned to its original site.
The historical reserve was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate on 21 October 1980 and on the Northern Territory Heritage Register on 18 October 2003. [7] [8] As of 2018, it had not given an International Union for Conservation of Nature protected area category. [9]
The protected areas of the Northern Territory consists of protected areas managed by the governments of the Northern Territory and Australia and private organisations with a reported total area of 335,527 square kilometres (129,548 sq mi) being 24.8% of the total area of the Northern Territory of Australia.
Tjoritja /West MacDonnell is a national park in the Northern Territory (Australia) due west of Alice Springs and 1234 km south of Darwin. It extends along the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs.
Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Warumungu about 105 km (65 mi) south of Tennant Creek, and 393 km (244 mi) north of Alice Springs. The nearest settlement is the small town of Wauchope located 9 km (5.6 mi) to the south.
Alice Springs known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd, wife of the telegraph pioneer Sir Charles Todd. Known colloquially as 'The Alice' or simply 'Alice', the town is situated roughly in Australia's geographic centre. It is nearly equidistant from Adelaide and Darwin.
Tennant Creek is a town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the seventh largest town in the Northern Territory, and is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with the western terminus of the Barkly Highway. At the 2021 census, Tennant Creek had a population of 3,080 people, of which 55% (1,707) identified themselves as Indigenous.
John Flynn was an Australian Presbyterian minister who founded the Australian Inland Mission (AIM) which later separated into Frontier Services and the Presbyterian Inland Mission, as well as founding what became the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the world's first air ambulance.
The Finke River, or Larapinta (Arrernte), is a river in central Australia, one of four main rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin and thought to be the oldest riverbed in the world. It flows for only a few days a year and when this happens, its water usually disappears into the sands of the Simpson Desert, rarely if ever reaching Lake Eyre.
The Larapinta Trail is an extended walking track in the Northern Territory of Australia. Its total length covers 223 kilometres (139 mi) from east to west, with the eastern end at Alice Springs and the western end at Mount Sonder, one of the territory's highest mountains. It follows the West MacDonnell Ranges, sometimes along the ridge line, other times on the plain below, in the West MacDonnell National Park.
Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Ghan.
The Kaytetye, also written Kaititya, and pronounced kay-ditch, are an Aboriginal Australian people who live around Barrow Creek and Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. Their neighbours to the east are the Alyawarre, to the south the Anmatyerre, to the west the Warlpiri, and to the north the Warumungu. Kaytetye country is dissected by the Stuart Highway.
The Heavitree Gap, or Ntaripe in the Arrernte language, is a water gap in the Northern Territory of Australia in the MacDonnell Ranges. It is the southern entrance to the city of Alice Springs and in addition to the Todd River it carries the main road and rail access to the south.
The Warumungu are a group of Aboriginal Australians of the Northern Territory. Today, Warumungu are mainly concentrated in the region of Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.
Larapinta Drive is a designated state route in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve is a protected area located south of Alice Springs, Northern Territory in Australia. The reserve was established in 1990 to protect the unique sandstone formations and the Aboriginal art, artifacts and sacred natural objects within an area of 24.83 km2 (9.59 sq mi) around a large sandstone bluff. The sandstone layers in the main formation resemble the coloured stripes of a rainbow, with the red-orange hues of sandstone that is rich with iron creating a strong contrast with the lighter shaded sandstone that turns pale yellow or gold in the late day sun as it shines on the northwest-facing cliffs.
Arltunga is a deserted gold rush town located in the Northern Territory of Australia in the locality of Hart about 110 kilometres (68 mi) east of Alice Springs. It is of major historical significance as the first major European settlement in Central Australia.
The Alice Springs Telegraph Station is located within the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve, four kilometres north of the Alice Springs town centre in the Northern Territory of Australia. Established in 1872 to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide, it is the original site of the first European settlement in central Australia. It was one of twelve stations along the Overland Telegraph Line.
Simpsons Gap is one of the gaps in the West MacDonnell Ranges in Australia's Northern Territory. It is located 18 kilometres west from Alice Springs, on the Larapinta Trail.
Flynn is a suburb of the town of Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Erlikilyika, known to Europeans by the name Jim Kite or Jim Kyte or Jim Kite Penangke, was an Aboriginal Australian sculptor, artist and anthropological interpreter. He was an Arrernte man, born into the Southern Arrernte or Pertame language group in Central Australia. He was the first Central Australian artist to be nationally recognised for his artistic talent, in particular his carvings of animals in soft stone, illustrations and sculptures, after an exhibition of his work was held in Adelaide, South Australia in 1913.
Ali Curung is an Indigenous Australian community in the Barkly Region of the Northern Territory. The community is located 170 km (106 mi) south of Tennant Creek, and 378 km (235 mi) north of Alice Springs. At the 2016 census, the community had a population of 494.