Report of the proceedings by the Board during the year 1897, together with information as to the number, location and present condition of the Aborigines throughout the Colony, and a detailed  statement of the expenditure of the funds voted by Parliament for their assistance. 

Annual Report of the Board for Protection of Aborigines (1 January to December 1897), 31 March 1898

During the late 1800s, the NSW Government’s focus shifted away from religious missions to reserves and stations. Missions were transformed into the first stations operated by the newly established Aborigines Protection Board. Reserves continued to be set aside for use by Aboriginal people.

The Aborigines Protection Board, missions, stations and reserves

Missionary societies from the United Kingdom established missions in NSW. Each mission operated independently. The living conditions on each mission depended on the people in charge. Aboriginal people went to missions by choice and by necessity. The NSW Government’s role was limited to granting land, funding, and distributing resources.