Pastor Doug Nicholls, M.B.E., J.P. was field officer for the Aborigines Advancement League (Victoria).Quarto hand written letter on letterhead of the Correspondence from the Aborigines Advancement League (Victoria) to the headmaster of the Ballarat Technical School. The letter relates to a bursary for a student. aborigines, aboriginal, aborigines advancement league (victoria), doug nicholls, cope, muir

Large blue poster with the shape of Australia depicted in white. Tribal lands have been placed onto the plan with numbers relating to names listed on the left of the poster.aborigine, aboriginal, aboriginal tribes, aborigines advancement league, koorie, wadawurrung, dja dja wurrung

The Church Men's Society was a part of the Church of Christ in Peel Street, Ballarat. In 1958 the President was C. Thomas, and S.C. McBride was Secretary. The Aborigines Advancement League (also known as the Aboriginal Advancement League) claims to be the oldest Aboriginal organisation in Australia. It is primarily concerned with Aboriginal welfare issues and the preservation of Aboriginal culture and heritage, and is based in Melbourne. The League was established in 1957 as a response to an enquiry by retired magistrate, Charles McLean, into the circumstances of Aboriginal Victorians. McLean was critical of conditions in the Lake Tyers and Framlingham Aboriginal Reserves. McLean recommended that persons of mixed Aboriginal and European descent be removed from the reserves. The people of Lake Tyers objected to this, and the League was formed out of their campaign. The new League drew from two already existing organisations, the Australian Aborigines League, established 1934 and the Save the Aborigines Committee, which had been established in 1955 as a response to the Warburton Ranges crisis. Founding President of the League was Gordon Bryant, with Doris Blackburn as Deputy President, Stan Davey as Secretary and Douglas Nicholls as Field Officer. Early activities included lobbying for a referendum to change the Australian constitution to allow the Federal government to legislate on Aboriginal affairs, and an establishing a legal defence fund for Albert Namatjira, after he was charged with supplying liquor to an Aboriginal ward.[1] By 1967 it had moved to being fully controlled by Aboriginal people with Bill Onus as the first Aboriginal President.Typed letter on Church Men's Society (C.M.S.) letterhead. The letter concerns a film 'showing the tragic condition of aborigines in Central Western Australia ...' The C.M.S. (Ballarat) planned to hold a public meeting in Ballarat at which Pastor Doug Nicholls, M.B.E. will speak and screen the film. doug nicholls, c. thomas, aborigines, ballarat town hall, stan davey, s.c. mcbride, letterhead

Black and white photograph of the Aborigines Advancement League Headquarters, Melbournesilver gelatin, paper

This book demonstrates how, from the earliest times of European colonisation, Aboriginal Australians across all states and territories experienced the trauma of loss and separation, as their children were abducted, enslaved, institutionalised and culturally remodelled.b&w photographs, newspaper articlesvictorian aboriginal child care agency, victorian aborigines advancement league, victorian aboriginal legal service, stolen generations, colonisation

The Koori Mural was designed by artist Megan Evans in consultation with a committee from the Aborigines Advancement League consisting of the late Lin Onus, the late Molly Dyer, the late Ron Johnson and the late Elizabeth Hoffman. It was painted by Evans and renowned Aboriginal artist Ray Thomas along with Ian Johnson, Millie Yarram, Les Griggs, Elaine Trott and a number of volunteers. The mural has considerable historical and cultural significance and refers to the experiences of the the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, from early colonial history to the more recent struggle for social justice. In 2014 the mural was replicated onto a vinyl banner and installed at its current site. The Northcote Koori Mural was originally located on Council land in High Street, Northcote, opposite the Northcote Town Hall. A huge, free-standing wall was built specifically to accommodate the mural which was painted on site. The land on which the mural was housed was later sold, however, and the mural was relocated to the Aborigines Advancement League in St. Georges Road, Thornbury. Conservation work in 2014 and original panels decommissioned and vinyl banner hung in its place (with Total Outdoor Media). In 2015 solar lights were installed along with landscaping to the front of the mural and a plaque depicting the history on the mural.