 Gribble resigned his Bulli post in July 1888 and was promptly appointed travelling missionary general (or general superintendent of missions) by the Aborigines Protection Association of New South Wales, and set about founding a mission at Copeland for the natives in the Barrington River region.He spent time inspecting the Warangesda, Maloga, Cumroogunga and Coudah mission stations, finding residents at Cumroogunga the most advanced academically.He found so many problems in the management of these facilities that the "Daily Telegraph" concluded that the only way Gribble could be satisfied with a mission was if he were "superintendent, missionary, manager, council and collector all in one".