A proactive Aboriginal community in the Newcastle region

There is a resurgence of a vibrant, proactive Aboriginal community in the Newcastle region after the 1967 Referendum and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Aboriginal people of the Hunter Valley are fuelled with hope and pride in the future. Demands for self determination and land rights become the vocal catch cries. Newcastle has always afforded a viable alternative to paternal government policies. Its heavy industries look beyond racism. Anyone walking through the gate at BHP, for example, seeking work gets a job. (Maynard, Awabak Voices, p83)