Such Was Life: Laurel Cooper

Laurel Cooper was taken to the Mount Margaret Mission by her mother to keep her safe at a time when half-caste aboriginal children were routinely taken away from their families. The Mission was administered by Rod and Isabelle Schenk and was, by the standards of the time, an enlightened and safe place to live and work. As early as 1944 Rod Schenk was advocating for citizenship for the indigenous population and the Mission did everything it could to educate the children in their care - including excursions to far away Perth. Laurel was part of the music group the Mount Margaret Minstrels who, in 1947, climbed onto the back of an old Army truck and played in concerts up and down the east coast in a musical road trip that rivalled a modern rock band’s tour schedule.