For this year’s NAIDOC theme For our Elders , the Archives is exploring the difference our early Indigenous educators at Curtin and WAIT, our predecessor organisation, made to tertiary education.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are respectfully advised the following story may contain images and references to deceased persons.
The Centre has seen many significant people through its doors and numerous events and initiatives come to light, so this brief summary is just a small capture of the years of hard work and individuals that have contributed to it.
The origins of CAS at Curtin began in 1974 with short educational courses for Aboriginal people provided by the Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT). This included an Alcohol Counsellor Course, a Liaison Officer Course and in 1976 the Aboriginal Bridging Course to prepare students for entry in tertiary courses.
Students completing the Aboriginal Bridging Course speaking with WAIT staff member Eric Butterworth about work in the social work sector, 1979.
Some of the year’s Aboriginal Bridging Course students outside building 201 waiting for the bus for an orientation weekend camp, 1981.
In 1983, the Centre for Aboriginal Studies was formally established through the efforts of Ted Wilkes, Joan Winch, Jack Davis, Victor Forrest, the support of an Aboriginal Advisory Committee and strong connections with the WAIT administration and Director Don Watts.
Self-determination and self-management for Indigenous people by Indigenous people had dominated political and social discourses of the time, providing the context for the Centre staff to focus it services on the diverse needs and aspirations of Indigenous peoples.
CAS business class, circa early 1990s.
CAS business class, circa early 1990s.
Through the 1980s and 1990s the Aboriginal Community Management and Development Program, and programs in health and education were introduced. Learning processes included students developing practical skills in leadership, engagement and consultation with Aboriginal communities. The CAS building opened in 1994 giving a dedicated physical space to the growing Centre, and the Curtin Indigenous Research Centre was established in 1997.
Hon Gough Whitlam, CAS Head Patricia Dudgeon, Darryl Kickett, at the official opening of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies building, August 1994
Official opening of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies building, August 1994
Official opening of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies building, August 1994
Darryl Kickett and Hon Gough Whitlam at the official opening of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies building, August 1994
Former CAS staff and students have commented on the empowered sense of Aboriginal social justice and leadership skills they obtained at the Centre, resulting in strong networks of CAS alumni working in professional management and consultancy roles.
In 2004, CAS established the Rob Riley Memorial Lectures in honour of Riley and to continue to uphold the memory of Western Australia’s key Indigenous figures. The lectures are held in annually in May.
The Centre for Aboriginal Studies has three Elders on staff, contributing to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, learning and research, and provides advice and leadership in Aboriginal studies, education, research and innovation.
Emeritus Professor Simon Forrest Curtin’s Elder in Residence, retired in 2019 after holding this position since 2014. He is a highly respected Nyungar Wadjuk Elder and the longest-serving Indigenous academic in Western Australia.
Elder-in-Residence Professor Simon Forrest
In 2018, Professor Simon Forrest was named the NAIDOC Perth Male Elder of the Year in recognition of his dedication and commitment to the education of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Western Australia.
Visit the Centre for Aboriginal Studies online at karda.curtin.edu.au
CAS pre-graduation event ceremony, 2006
