Artist Dennis Golding will join Aunty Donna Ingram, a long-term resident and Elder of the Redfern Aboriginal Community, for a limited series of tours exploring the urban Aboriginal history of ‘The Block’ and the wider Redfern area. Together they will share stories of Redfern as the birthplace of Aboriginal civil rights movements, and honouring the families who built the community as a place of protest, healing, connection, and cultural pride.
The Block, originating in the early 1970s and consists of Eveleigh, Caroline, Louis and Vine Streets, is an area of community, culture and protest. It began after 15 Aboriginal squatters were arrested in empty terraces in Louis Street and a group of campaigners led by Bob and Kaye Bellear established the Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC). The AHC purchased several houses in the area that were to be used as affordable housing for the local community. This was a response to the widespread racial discrimination Aboriginal people faced in the private rental market. The Block and Redfern area saw the birth of Aboriginal run organisations including the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Aboriginal Medical Service and the National Black Theatre. More recently, The Block has seen the establishment of the Redfern Tent Embassy along with several other protests that aim to keep The Block in Aboriginal hands.
Find out more about First Nations History Tours, The Block here.
When: 10 am – 11 am Sunday 22 March, Sunday 26 April and Sunday 31 May
Where: Redfern, Sydney
Entry: $30, free for First Nations peoples, book tickets here.