History

How we came to be

On 17 October 1985, at 1.00pm, the first meeting of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Trust (as we were then known) was convened on the 27^th floor, 200 Queens Street, Melbourne.  The room in which this auspicious meeting took place was the chambers of one of our original founders, Ron Merkel QC.  In attendance on the day as listed on the minutes of meeting were Uncle Sandy Atkinson, Frank Vincent, the late Ron Castan QC, Tony Lavery, Beth Charles, Ron Merkel QC, Hartog Berkely, Janice Muir, Peter Redlich, John Evans, Uncle Jim Berg and Wendy Brabham.  Apologies were noted from Bob Edwards, then Director of the Museum of Victoria, and Patrick McCaughey, then Director of the National Gallery of Victoria.

The KHT emerged from a need for greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of Koorie culture throughout the community, and the immediate need for Koorie cultural heritage material to be controlled, managed and curated by Koorie people. Amongst the resolutions on the day of that first meeting was that the Secretary of the Department of Planning and Environment be asked to give a general consent for the Trust to acquire Aboriginal relics and to possess skeletal remains in accordance with the Archaeological & Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act.

Since then, the KHT’s activities and programs have expanded and include:

• addressing a need in the community for the collection and preservation of Koorie oral histories for future generations
• a family history service that connects members of the Stolen Generations and their descendants to family, culture and community
• expanding the collection of Koorie art and artefacts that reflect the historical and contemporary artistic practices of south-eastern Australia
• exhibition programs with a particular focus on showcasing new and emerging artists
• cultural experiences programs and activities
• a retail outlet for the creative art and design expression of our Koorie Community.