The cooperative’s objectives

The cooperative’s objectives are broad and centre around providing for members’ needs in areas of employment, culture, health, welfare, sport, housing and education. These objectives inform initiatives for the forthcoming year:

1. Hold a cultural camp for 9 to 15 year olds at Rathmines before Christmas.

2. Establish an Aboriginal Health Centre.

3. Reclaim Sacred sites in the Wattagans and establish a permanent reserve and cultural centre.

4. Establish an Aboriginal Pre-school

5. Obtain an Aboriginal legal service field officer to work from the Co-op.

6. Set up a loaning and Homework Centre which would include such teaching programs as the Awabakal dialect.

7. Establish our own club 8 Set up our own housing Co-op.

By 2000 many of these programs are achieved by the Newcastle Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community. Some by the Awabakal Co-op, and others independent of it. Most grow out of initial negotiations and support of the Co-op. (Minutes, Awabakal AGM 1977; Heath, 1998:66 )