A homestead in Glebe

The name 'Tranby' refers to the building itself, which is located on Mansfield Street in the Sydney suburb of Glebe. It is an 1830s cottage, originally part of the Toxteth Park Estate owned by the Allen Family. The Reverend John Hope donated the cottage to the Co-operative for Aborigines Ltd in 1957 for use as a hostel and training centre. The Co-operative also owns Minumurra, next door to Tranby. In 1998, Tranby inaugurated the new "Buildings out the Back", a major redevelopment. The whole complex was designed in sympathy with both the Victorian feel of the suburb and a holistic approach to Aboriginal education.

Alf Clint - A pioneer of the co-operative way

Alf's Clint's background was in trade unions, the Australian Labor Party, Christian Socialism and co-operatives. He grew up in Balmain, NSW and as a young man joined the Bush Brotherhood in Dubbo, where he worked with shearers and miners in places like Brewarrina and Weston in country NSW. He was a passionate advocate of the rights of the workers and the importance of unions. One of his first mentors was the Reverend John Hope.

Alf Clint began working in Papua and New Guinea in late 1947. As advisor to Father James Benson on Christian Co-operatives, he was involved in the successful establishment of co-operatives in the cocoa and coffee industries. In 1950, Alf suffered a major illness and was forced to return to Sydney. It was while recovering that he began to think about extending his work in New Guinea, to Australia. At the same time, the Australian Board of Missions (ABM) was seeking to establish an independent, nondenominational Co-operative Department to work with Aboriginal people.

For Alf, the question was one of economic independence and improving the welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He saw co-operatives as the most compatible business structure for Indigenous peoples. His work in New Guinea had convinced him that co-operatives were suited to the traditional tribal structures and way of doing things. He believed that co-operatives could also make a difference to the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia. In the Co-operative News-Sheet, May 1956, Alf wrote, "Which do YOU think is better - for Missions or Governments to own plantations, cattle stations and luggers, or for the native peoples to own them themselves"?

In 1957, Alf Clint was appointed General Secretary of the newly formed ABM Christian Community Co-operative Ltd, which was renamed The Co-operative for Aborigines Ltd, in 1962. Since that time, it has been an independent organisation.

Community Outreach

As well as running Tranby Aboriginal College in Glebe, in the early years, the Co-operative played a key role in assisting various Indigenous communities to set-up their own community co-operatives. Co-ops were established at Lockhart River and Yarrabah in Northern Queensland, Moa Island in the Torres Strait and Cabbage Tree Island in Northern NSW. Over the years, the Co-operative has been involved in Land Rights protests; the Committee to Defend Black Rights; Building Bridges concerts; as well as many other important social justice issues affecting Indigenous communities. It has run Blackbooks, the first specialist bookshop to stock Indigenous-related books; the Aboriginal Development Unit; Aboriginal Homeless Persons Hostel; and a number of Jobskills programs.

A unique approach to education

The College has been a pioneer in Indigenous adult education and training, supported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, trade unions, church groups and individuals. When it first opened, Tranby was a hostel for students who had been encouraged to come to Sydney to attend vocational classes at TAFE. In 1958, the first three male adult students arrived in Sydney from northern NSW to undertake apprenticeships in panel beating, fitting and turning, and plumbing. Later that year, two other men from Lockhart River in the Cape York Peninsula arrived to undertake short-term training courses in butchery and oxy-welding. Both trades were needed in their community. In the early days, students learnt the bakery trade, bookkeeping skills and store management; the essential skills for running their community co-operatives. In 1961, Durungaling, a hostel for women, opened at Collaroy, with students undertaking secretarial training and courses in business skills.

In the 1960s the educational emphasis was on vocational TAFE courses, with the college running courses in co-operative related issues and bookkeeping. From 1959 to 1980, a summer school was held at the beginning of each year, offering seminars on co-operative related issues.

Alf Clint died in 1980 and Kevin Cook became the first Aboriginal General Secretary of the Co-operative. In the 1980's, the College offered foundation education and tertiary level TAFE courses, including an equivalent HSC course. Other short-term courses and workshops have included Land Council Management Training, Sacred Sites Training, Deaths in Custody and Cultural Awareness workshops as well as programs for the housing, health and business sectors.

Current Diploma Courses offered at Tranby Aboriginal College

Three diploma-level courses are now offered to Indigenous students throughout Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. These courses are delivered on a Block Release Program over two years. The National Vocational Education and Training Board (VETAB) accredited courses are:

• Advanced Diploma of Applied Aboriginal Studies. This curriculum is also offered on the mid-north Coast of NSW as part of Tranby's ongoing commitment to regional development. At the request of community Elders involved in the development of the curriculum, the course is also offered to non-Indigenous fee-paying students in the evenings.
• Diploma of Development Studies - Aboriginal Communities. This curriculum was developed in response to the need for Indigenous community organisations to develop self-management skills, particularly in relation to negotiations with government and non-government instrumentalities.
• National Indigenous Legal Studies Curriculum. The course is hands-on, practical, and directly relates to the legal needs of Indigenous communities.

Organisational Structure

An eight-member Board of Directors manages the Co-operative for Aborigines Ltd. The Executive Director, Jack Beetson and most board members are Aboriginal. The Co-operative has 17 full-time and 3 part-time staff and caters for around 150 students. Tranby is also able to call on the services of other professionals and Community Elders, whose expertise and knowledge contributes in a significant way to the development of the curriculum and delivery of courses, both at the College and in the field. Tranby also has access to volunteer assistance through the Friends of Tranby, a community support organisation working in partnership with the College.

For more information about the college and its activities, please visit http://www.tranby.com.au

© Co-operative for Aborigines, 2002