1980

The Truganini Scholarship

The Truganini Scholarship was named after Truganina, a Palewa woman from Tasmania. The scholarship was made available to Aboriginal students undertaking a degree course at the University of Melbourne.

The scholarship was made available to Aboriginal students who had completed secondary schooling and were seeking entry into Melbourne University.

The Evelyn Boekemann Scholarship

The Evelyn Boekemann Scholarship was made possible by the generous bequest of Mrs Evelyn Boekemann, who, in her will, made provision for the establishment of the Scholarship for the purpose of promoting and encouraging the education of Australian Aborigines.

In accordance with the wishes of the benefactor, preference was given to Aboriginal students undertaking or proposing to undertake studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Malcolm Fraser

Malcolm Fraser was elected as Prime Minister in 1975 and remained in the position until 1983. In 1980, Malcolm Fraser, met with representatives of the Framlingham Aboriginal community, led by Mr Len Clarke to discuss the ownership of the Framlingham Reserve. After discussion, Mr Fraser signed a statement that agreed that the Federal Government would give the Gunditjmara people the control of the 1000 hectares of the Framlingham Forest. The Framlingham Forest Bill was drawn up in consultation with the Aboriginal community, as a result of this meeting.

1981

Rumbalara Child Care Centre - Lidje Child Care Centre

Rumbalara Child Care Centre was set up in 1981 to provide child and family care for young Koorie children in a Koorie environment. It later became the Lidje Child Care Centre and then the Lidje MACS Centre. Lidje is still operating at Rumbalara, near Shepparton and continues to provide a child care and playgroup service to the local Koorie community. Lidje also provides after school and holiday programs for Koorie students.

Yappera Child Care Centre

Yappera Child Care Centre was set up in Fitzroy in 1981 to cater for pre-school aged Koorie children. Yappera provided full day care facilities and a support function for children and families at risk. The aim of Yappera was to give children and parents the opportunity to be involved in pre-school activities so that the children would be prepared for pre-school and then school. Yappera is still operating, on its new premises, at the Aborigines Advancement League in Thornbury, Melbourne.

1982

Koori Kollij

Koori Kollij was set up in 1982 by the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service in response to providing long term solutions to the health needs of the Koorie community. The Kollij aimed to train local community people to be health workers, and to be a community based educational program Thirty Koorie Health Workers were trained every year in the Health Workers course.

After the initial establishment of the Kollij, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the Education Department funded it. All teachers in the course were Koories, except for the doctors. Because the teachers were Koories, their qualifications included first hand experience in the needs of Aboriginal people and knowledge of Aboriginal values. Koori Kollij ran other courses such as the Health Worker Program, which was set up to respond to the educational and health needs of the community as they arose. Koori Kollij closed in 1989 due to lack of government support.

1983

1983-2001 Worawa College

Worawa College is the first and only registered Aboriginal independent secondary school in Victoria. Hyllus Maris, co-author of 'Women of the Sun' with the support of the Greenhills Foundation established Worawa College because of the need to provide an alternative system for Koorie children. It began operation at Frankston in Melbourne and was there for two years before it moved to Barak Park, Healesville. The College is a Boarding College, for Years 7- Years 12, and is co-educational, catering for students from around Australia. An all-Aboriginal council assumes responsibility for all aspects of the College's operations. The school offers secondary education for students based on both Aboriginal culture and academic excellence. "The College aims to provide a greater understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural history and heritage therefore giving the students the ability to actively promote an awareness in the wider community of Aboriginal people and their culture."

Aboriginal Students in Victorian Schools: Year Level, 1983

This chart shows the number of Aboriginal students in Victorian schools in 1983. It shows that the numbers of students decrease as they move into years 10, 11 and 12. It shows a marked decrease for year 12 students.

Prep	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
198	190	172	182	184	206	208	268	233	226	169	99	19

Total number of Koorie students: 2,354

1984

Monash Orientation Scheme for Aborigines (MOSA)

The Monash Orientation Scheme for Aborigines (MOSA) was set up in 1984 to provide a bridging course for Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders wishing to enter university. MOSA offered specialised educational opportunities to Aborigines and aimed to accelerate entry into professions, the public service and management. The idea originated in the Koorie community because mature age Aborigines who wanted to enrol in the University Degree courses felt that they needed to do bridging courses prior to entry into the Degree courses. The MOSA program has been replaced with a two-year Diploma in Arts (Australian Indigenous Studies). There is no fee charge for the first year of the Diploma which is AbStudy approved and HECS free."