Date

Events

8 June 1835

The Batman "treaty" is signed between tribal leaders of the Yarra Yarra Tribe and John Batman, representing the Port Phillip Association. The treaty is subsequently deemed invalid by Governor Bourke.

26 March 1839

Robinson records a large corroboree in the new settlement.

1843-4

William Kyle witnesses a battle between two groups of Aboriginal tribes. Eight people are dead by the end of the battle.

1 January 1846

Merri Creek School for Aboriginal children opened at the area near the junction of the Merri Merri Creek and the Yarra River.

10 August 1846

The Wurundjeri people lose Billibellary, their ngurungaeta (headman), to a chest infection.

1859

Acheron Aboriginal Reserve established.

March 1863

Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve established near Healesville.

1886

The Aborigines Protection Act is introduced, which allows the Board for the
Protection of Aborigines (BPA) to proscribe the place of residence of any “full blood” Aboriginal person. This is the beginning of the policy of assimilation that is
practiced by the BPA and its successors in Victoria until 1966.

17 September 1941

The Fitzroy Aboriginal community complained about the comments made by Fitzroy Councillors about their behaviour. The local police commented "These aborigines give us very little trouble.Although there are about 100 of them in the district we rarely have to arrest any of them".

1943

Pastor Doug Nicholls established the Gore Street Fitzroy Church of Christ Aboriginal Mission.

26 August 1949

The first Aboriginal Debutante Ball is held at the Collingwood Town Hall. Organised by Marg Tucker the Ball features 26 couples who are presented to Sir George and Lady Knox.

31 January 1954

An Aboriginal choir, featuring Isobel Kuhl a 13-year old soloist is the feature of the special Australia Day service at the Churches of Christ Aborigines' Mission in Fitzroy (Argus)

3 August 1957

A conference is held at the club rooms of the Australian Aboriginal Elders' Council of Victoria at 165 Gertrude Street. Delegates from all over Victoria attend.

6 July 1958

The first Aboriginal girls' hostel is opened in Cunningham Street, Northcote by the Chairman of the Aborigines Welfare Board.

1958

Marg Tucker is awarded an MBE for services to her people.

July 1961

A "Conscience Calling Ball" is held at the Northcote Town Hall to raise money for the appeal being conducted by the Aborigines Advancement League to raise funds for the construction of another Aboriginal youth hostel.

10 January 1968

Bill Onus, the first Aboriginal president of the Aborigines Advancement League, dies.

12 February 1969

The Aboriginal magazine names Georgina Rose as mother of the year and Stewart Murray as father of the year. Entertainer of the year was Edgar Green, for his gum leaf recitals outside Myers in Melbourne. (Australian 12 February 1969)

28 June 1969

The Aborigines Advancement League started its button day to raise funds with folk singing and boomerang throwing in the City Square. (Age 28 June 1969)

11 July 1969

Pastor Doug Nicholls presents a petition to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in a ceremony at the City Square. The petition calls for a better deal for Aboriginal people. Herald 11 July 1969

June 1978

First State Aboriginal Housing meeting held in Collingwood, which results in the establishment of a steering Committee.

April 1981

Inaugural meeting of the Aboriginal Housing Board in Melbourne.

June 1981

The Aboriginal Housing Board establishes its office at 108 Smith Street, Collingwood.

3 March 1982

In protest at the closure of the only Aboriginal Community Youth Support Scheme(CYSS) by the Department of Employment and Youth Affairs, members of the Aboriginal community occupied the offices of the Department of Employment and Youth Affairs on 22 February. Explaining the need for an Aboriginal CYSS the Project Officer, Bev Murray noted that: “You ask around at the other CYSS projects around here - Carlton, Fitzroy, Collingwood. They will almost never get an Aboriginal. They don’t go there because their programs don’t relate to what our kids need. Kooris want to work within their own community, in programs that relate to their own Aboriginality”.

24 March 1982

A full time, nine-month course for Aboriginal health workers began in Smith Street, Collingwood. The students included thirty Aboriginals from Southern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. The course was a community initiative funded by a private benevolent trust. (Melbourne Times).

2 June 1982

The grant of $23 000 by the Australian Heritage Commission to the Victorian Archaeological Survey to carry out a survey of the Melbourne Metropolitan area was criticised by Gary Foley. Foley observed "The money would be better spent on land rights or some viable form of compensation for the people today". (Melbourne Times).

9 June 1982

Stewart Murray, on behalf of the descendants of the Bunurong and Wurundjeri people laid claim to the area of the Collingwood tip, which had been part of an Aboriginal reserve of nearly 27 acres along the Merri Creek in the 1830s. (Melbourne Times).

23 June 1982

Executive members of the South Eastern Land Council, including Sandra Onus, David Anderson, Herb Pettit and Stewart Murray announced that the Council had passed a motion supporting the claim of descendants of the Gunai, Werrungery and Bunnarong tribes to 27 acres of Clifton Hill. (Melbourne Times).

July 1982

Sandra Bailey, a Yorta Yorta woman, becomes the first female Aboriginal law graduate in Victoria.

September 1982

Stewart Murray is appointed as the second Aboriginal Justice of the Peace, following in the footsteps of Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls.

First Annual General Meeting of the Aboriginal Housing Board is held in Northcote and the first annual report is circulated.

17 November 1982

The claimants to the 27 acres of Clifton Hill rejected an invitation to make a submission to the Council. On behalf of the tribes Stewart Murray noted "We are not prepared to put in a submission, which implies we don't already have a right to the land". A submission was made instead to the State Government, including historic evidence, anthropological reports and maps. (Melbourne Times).

December 1982

The State Government approves a submission by the Aboriginal Housing Board for the creation of Aboriginal Housing Liaison Officers.

20 July 1983

The funeral of Minnie Patten who was called the "Angel of Fitzroy".

18 April 1984

The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service is successful in its case against the Museum of Victoria, which had attempted to loan Aboriginal artefacts to other museums in breach of the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972.

February 1985

The first State Aboriginal Housing Conference is held at Camp Jungai.

11 June 1986

A production of Jack Davis' play No Sugar, is performed in the Fitzroy Town Hall. (Melbourne Times).

1987

Aboriginal Housing Board transfers to new premises in Gertrude Street Fitzroy

1988

Community protests follow evictions.

March 1988

Community meetings held after each monthly Aboriginal Housing Board meeting in Mooroopna, Morwell, Dandenong, Mildura, Ballarat, Warrnambool and Melbourne.

November 1988

The Aboriginal Housing Board holds its second Statewide Housing Conference in Mildura

July 1990

Funding for the Aboriginal Kollij is cut.

4 December 1991

Fitzroy's Aboriginal community expresses outrage at the sacking of a worker from the Fitzroy adventure playground. Gary Foley indicated that the community was also planning to organise a campaign against what he called the "gross mismanagement of Aboriginal kids" by CSV workers. (Melbourne Times, 4 December 1991).

February 1995

Aboriginal Housing Board transfers to its new office at Scotchmer Street, North Fitzroy.

April 2000

Aboriginal Housing Board celebrates its 1000^th property purchase in Shepparton. Myrtle Muir is awarded the Frances Pennington Award by the Minister for Housing at Parliament House.

August 2000

Aboriginal Housing Board appoints its first Chief Executive Officer.

April 2001

Aboriginal Housing Board holds 20^th anniversary dinner and presentation evening event at the San Remo Ball room in Nicholson Street, Carlton.