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Malarn, close to Lake Gregory (Paruku), was established as an Aboriginal community in 1979. The traditional owners of the land are Walmajarri people. From the late 30’s preachers from the Church of England and UAM churches would periodically visit the area, telling the story of Jesus to the people. In 1939 the Pallotine priests and brothers came to the east Kimberley looking to establish a mission among the people. These first priest and brothers were disliked by the pastoralist, as a result were forced to keep moving. As they moved they followed the watercourses and the Lake edge, looking for a place to settle permanently. It was at Kiji that they first met the Walmajarri people; some joined the missionaries and eventually settled at Old Balgo in 1942. A shortage of fresh drinking water and long periods of isolation because of the wet forced the mission to relocate to the current site of Balgo Hills (Wirrimanu) in 1962. The referendum of 1967 that granted citizenship rights to Aborigines meant that Aboriginal workers had to be paid just and proper wages. This resulted in many Aboriginal stockmen and their families being forced to leave Sturt Creek, Gordon Downs, Billliluna and Lake Gregory Stations to move to Balgo or one of the nearby towns as the stations could not afford to pay them proper wages. Fr McGuire offered help to people forced to leave the stations, establishing Ngulyipi (Balgo Homestead) where many of these stockmen were able to work. In the mid 1970’s the Walmajarri people felt there was no room for them in Balgo and wanted to return to their own land and old man Tiger with his son, Rex Johns and old man Laki with his son, Ronnie Ronalds, along with George Wallaby, Clumpy Pye, Boxer Billiluna and Biddy Chungalla started to talk with DAA (Department of Aboriginal Affairs) about returning to their country. The people asked Fr Hevern from the Balgo Mission and John Eddy the pastoral advisor from Ngulyipi to assisted them in this. So it was that in early 1979 Walmajarri people returned to their country some going to Billiluna (Kururrungku) and others to Malarn. Rex Johns led the people to Malarn at this time and remains a strong leader in the community today. He said that coming to Malarn, “was like Moses leading the people to the Promised Land.” When they came to their land they settled near the site of the old station homestead and lived in bush humpies. Small tin houses were built first and gradually over the years larger and more suitable houses have been built so that all families had a house. Sr Colleen Kleinschafer, a Sister of Mercy, went with the people to Malarn in 1979. When Sr Bernadette Mills joined her they set up schools in Malarn and Billiluna, travelling regularly between the two communities. In 1980 they came to live in Malarn and lived in two caravans near the school area. As well as the caravans where they lived there was a small green caravan that was used as a chapel. This was commonly referred to as the “Jesus house”. Around the time many adults asked Fr Hevern if they could be baptised and so there was a big baptism ceremony near the school area. The community school, John Pujajangka Piyirn School, is named after John the Baptist, the desert man who was chosen as the patron saint for the community. Central to the community is the small hill with a simple cross at the top and in the early days Mass was usually celebrated there when the priest visited from Balgo. It is the dreaming site for the barramundi that now lives in Lake Argyle and for the lungkura (blue tongue lizard) from Kilingkara. The school is located at the base of the hill on the north-eastern side. Today approximately 180 people live in Malarn. In August 2001 there was great celebrating when the traditional owners of the land were successful in gaining native title rights to their land. The celebrations to mark this were held at Paruku (Lake Gregory).
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