Bonmarart Leewik
Strong Ancestors
This site aims to bring together a range of resources that document places in Melbourne's Western region that are of significance to Aboriginal people. Many key Aboriginal activists of the 20th century either lived in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, worked or met there. There were people who fought for Aboriginal rights, people who made a political difference at the time of the 1967 referendum, people who fought for the rights of Aboriginal children and who created political or social entities that persist today.
Other notable Aboriginal leaders contributed to music, teaching and sport. The Aboriginal communities around Footscray of the 1930s and later created a network of support so that others could move to the city where employment - and extended family networks - could be found. Today, those family networks and the legacies of early political work can still be seen in such institutions as the Aboriginal Advancement League, the Victorian Aboriginal Childcare Agency, the Margaret Tucker hostel and the William Cooper Justice Centre.
People
Places
Events
Acknowledgment of Country
The project team acknowledges the Elders, families and forebears of the Boonwurrung and Woiwurrung of the Kulin who were the custodians of the land in the West of Melbourne for many centuries. We recognise and respect the traditional owners of the land on which the houses, workplaces and events discussed in this project took place.
The lands of the Boonwurrung and Woiwurrung are places of age-old ceremonies of celebration and initiation. They are also places from where community aspirations for social justice were renewed and fought for with great energy.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that these pages may contain the names, images and voices of people who have passed away.