[4] From 1916, he led several expeditions to the island with the purpose of establishing a new settlement to relocate the Indigenous children of mixed-race descent.

[6] The government granted them 200 square miles (51,800 hectares) of land on the western side of the island for the construction of a Mission.

There were complaints from the Indigenous residents about the gruelling work, the state of the dormitories, the punishments meted out for infractions and the poor quality of clothing and bedding.

A report by the Chief Medical Officer in 1934 stated that half of the adult population on the Mission had or previously had leprosy.

[10] In 1940, a cyclone destroyed many of the older buildings at the Mission, including the boys' dormitory and severely damaged the new girls' quarters.

The Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) obtained prospecting rights in 1963 and commenced and mining operations.

[11] In 1964, the Groote Eylandt Mining Company was established and given a lease over the island for royalty payments to the Church Missionary Society.

The CMS established the Groote Eylandt Aboriginal Trust Fund on 28 August 1969, where the mining company would pay the royalty money.

The clans maintain their traditions and have strong ties with the people in the community of Numbulwar and on Bickerton Island.