Koorie Heritage Trust Inc.

Purpose

The Cultural Centre

The impact of Europeans into south-eastern Australia had detrimental effects to Koorie people and their culture which has led to a number of widely held misconceptions about Koorie people, their culture and heritage. To date Koorie culture has not been given the integrity and appreciation that it deserves. It is the vision of the Koorie Heritage Trust Inc to remedy this situation and create an awareness and a passion for Koorie culture.

Also integral to the philosophy of the Trust is to assist in the development and promotion of Koorie identity within its own community.

History

Jim Berg, the late Ron Castan A.M. Q.C. and Justice Ron Merkel established the Koorie Heritage Trust Inc in 1985. The Trust was formed for the cultural heritage of Koorie people to be owned, controlled and managed by them. Originally housed at the Museum of Victoria, the Trust has grown from a small community organisation into a cultural icon for both Koorie and non-Koorie communities located in a brand new, three-storey permanent Cultural Centre situated in the heart of Melbourne.

Receiving Tourism Award

The Trust is the only place in the whole of Australia that looks after the history and culture of the Indigenous people of south-eastern Australia. It is a unique Cultural Centre that is not only a tourist attraction educating visitors about Koorie culture but also a Keeping Place; an art gallery; a supplier of authentic Indigenous art and craft; a library; a preserver of oral histories; and a provider of a family history service.

Philosophy

The Trust’s motto is ‘Gnokan Danna Murra Kor-ki’ which means ‘Give me your hand my friend’. The Trust believes that through education and promotion it is:

• Raising the awareness of the cultural diversity of Koorie culture in south-eastern Australia; and
• Improving relationships between Koorie and non-Koorie communities; and
• Working against discrimination.

What do KHT do?

The Koorie Heritage Trust Inc houses a diverse range of artefacts, artworks, crafts, historical material and photographs. The Trust has four galleries and a Permanent Exhibition that focuses on Indigenous people from south-eastern Australia. Other activities include performance arts, educational programs, cross-cultural training, visiting artist exhibitions and workshops.

The Trust also provides a range of programs and services available to the Koorie community and general public including:

• Programs which record and preserve the Oral History of Koorie people;
• A service to assist community members trace their family history; and
• An extensive library with material dating back to the early 1800’s.

Organisational Structure

The Koorie Heritage Trust is a non-profit organisation, governed by a Board of Trustees and employing 28 full-time and part-time staff, including trainees.

The Patrons of the Koorie Heritage Trust are Justice Ron Merkel and Nellie Castan.

The organisational structure of the Trust sees the Board as a governing body with an Executive supporting the CEO with the operations of the Trust on a fortnightly basis. The Chief Executive Officer reports to the Executive and oversees the daily operations with a management team of seven.

Reconciliation is embraced at all levels of the Trust with Koories and non-Koories working together from staff to Board level.

Governance

The Koorie Heritage Trust is incorporated under the Victorian Associations Incorporation Act 1981. It has a limited membership of 20, and a 20 member board. New Trust members and board members are selected by the Board. The Chair and a majority of the board must be Aboriginal.

Board members are chosen both for their skills and for their relationships to Indigenous communities in regional and metropolitan areas. Board members are not paid.

Within the Trust there is a separation of broad policy direction and day-to-day management. The Board meets monthly and focuses on the broad policy and direction of the Trust. Beneath the Board is an executive committee comprising the chair, deputy chair, treasurer and secretary, which meet fortnightly with the CEO. The executive focuses more on operational matters and supports the CEO. The Trust also has governance sub-committees for every operational area including development, curatorial and education.

As a part of its governing procedures, the Trust has a comprehensive policy and procedures manual that covers areas such as human resource issues and complaint handling and a governance manual that sets out the terms of reference for the committees. The Koorie Heritage Trust was the inaugural winner of Reconciliation Australia’s National Indigenous Governance Awards in August 2005. There were 57 entrants from across Australia.

Koorie Heritage Trust Board of Trustees:

Executive

• Angela Clarke (Chair)
• Robert “Jumbo” Pearce (Deputy Chair) Beth Charles (Secretary)
• Bernard Marin (Treasurer)

Directors

• Ricci Swart
• Ralph White
• Uncle Sandy Atkinson AM
• Uncle Jim Berg JP
• Karen Milward
• Trevor Huggard
• David Parsons S.C.
• Jill Reichstein OAM
• Uncle Larry Walsh
• Aunty Joan Vickery AO
• Bob Weis
• Tammy Walsh
• Vicki Couzens
• John Norman

Key Koorie Heritage Trust Staff

• Jason Eades, CEO
• Kaye Harris
• Rita Morrison, Oral History Manager
• Nerissa Broben, Collections Manager
• Maree Clarke, Exhibitions Manager
• Dean Stewart, Education & Library Unit Manager
• Dee Stanton, Visitors Services & Retail Manager
• Marianne Atkinson, Family History Services Manager

Leadership Profile - Jason Eades – CEO

Jason Eades was born in 1972 in Orbost, South Eastern Victoria. The town of Orbost is located in Gippsland, an area known for its rolling green hills, beautiful coastline of sandy beaches and the stunning Wilson’s Promontory National Park. Jason is a proud Gunai man – a tribe traditionally known for its long bark canoes that were used for sea fishing.

Jason grew up with his mum and three brothers. His mother played an instrumental role in his life. Jason talks about how his mother was always willing to provide support and assistance to people. His mother taught him the importance of family and community - these values still hold strong in Jason’s life today.

At a very young age, Jason was given the opportunity to take on responsibilities in management. His professional career started in a managerial role at his local Aboriginal Cooperative. From this experience he progressed into a number of senior management positions including Executive Manager at Mirimbiak Victoria Aboriginal Native Title Unit, Aboriginal Affairs Victoria to Chief Executive Officer of the Koorie Heritage Trust - one of Victoria’s leading Indigenous Cultural Centres.

Jason is passionate about the Arts. His interest began early at high school when he started experimenting with different traditional Indigenous design techniques. Today, he is an established Koorie artist and his work has been bought by a number of organizations including the Koorie Heritage Trust – prior to him becoming CEO!

Indeed, Jason jumped at the chance to become CEO of the Koorie Heritage Trust as he saw it as a great opportunity to blend his management skills with his passion as an Indigenous artist. Being CEO of the Trust allows him to have a direct advisory role in the development of the Victorian Indigenous arts community. He is particularly interested in promoting the diverse and distinctive identity of his culture and one of the great ways to do this is through the unique style of Koorie art.

One of the many initiatives that Jason has introduced at the Koorie Heritage Trust is to set up Artist Mentoring whereby particular artists are provided with the necessary support and skills to earn a livelihood as an artist.

Jason is also passionate about creating opportunities for Koorie youth to learn more about their culture and identity in order to strive to reach their full potential.

Jason is involved with number of Boards including the Victorian Indigenous Leadership Network and the Victorian Aboriginal Language Corporation as Treasurer and as Chairperson of Aboriginal Tourism- Victoria .

Snapshot