Tranby hosted the first National Conference on Aboriginal Controlled Community-based Education and Institutions at the Tranby campus in Glebe. Tranby had established itself as an important meeting place, supporting other organisations and sparking ideas for social change.
The centre for Blackbooks opened – the first specialist bookshop and reference library for Indigenous-related literature.
The Reverend Alf Clint passed away and Kevin Cook became the first Indigenous secretary of Tranby. Since then, all Tranby secretaries have been Indigenous. Cook built Tranby into a centre for adult learning and cultural revival, a base for land rights activists, and a hub where visitors from around Australia and from across the world could
A protest named ‘Operation Aborigine’ was held in Martin Place, Sydney. The Gooriala (Rainbow Serpent) badge was designed by artist Dick Roughsey for the protest and was also used as a creative fundraising strategy for the Tranby Aboriginal Co-operative.
Tranby stood in solidarity with them, speaking out against the multinational mining companies who, in their words, “completely disregard peoples cultural and historical heritage in their chase for profits. If they want to mine land that happens to be Aboriginal land, they’ll go ahead and do it, unless they’re stopped”. Kevin ‘Cookie’ told Tribune “A
The Trade Union Committee on Aboriginal Rights (TUCAR) was established to foster better relationships and communications between Aboriginal people and the trade unions. Cook was committed to working with the trade unions and Tranby was heavily engaged and supported by these groups, including for fundraising and on-the job training programs.
Tranby board member and former student Kevin ‘Cookie’ Cook, a Wandandian and Yuin man, first became involved with Tranby in 1975. In 1976 he represented Tranby in discussions on the Northern Territory Aboriginal Land Rights Bill and the Aboriginal and Associations Bill. Tranby was becoming more and more involved in Indigenous affairs.
The Mili Mili publication was launched. Since its inception, Tranby has produced a range of publications, including newsletters, the Aborigines Welfare Bulletin (1959-1965), Mili Mili, Gooorialla (1979-1981) and student yearbooks. Mili Mili ran for 12 issues from 1972 to 1977 and covered Tranby-specific events and local Aboriginal initiatives. It also provided international reports and essays
Tranby distributed ‘Vote Yes’ leaflets for the 1967 referendum, in which Australians voted overwhelmingly – over 90 per cent – to amend the Australian Constitution to allow the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal people and include them in the census.
The Reverend Alf Clint, an Anglican Bush Brother and activist for human rights, was looking for somewhere to establish a training centre for the development of co-operative practices for Aboriginal people. Reverend John Hope of Christchurch St Laurence said, ‘Tell Alf he can have Tranby’. The Co-operative for Aborigines (now known as Tranby) was established,
Tranby Aboriginal Co-operative Ltd. acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures. This extends to Elders past and present and to our future generations of leaders. We also acknowledge the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation as the Traditional Educators, knowledge keepers and carers for Country on the land where our Glebe campus stands.
13 Mansfield Street,
Gadigal country
Glebe NSW 2037
ABN: 82 479 284 570
RTO ID: 90492
