History
In 1982, a group of Dubbo Aboriginal women began playgroup activities in one another’s homes to provide social opportunities for their children. The group’s activities became extensive, and the numbers of mothers and children participating grew such that a local church hall was hired in 1984 to run playgroup activities 3 days a week.
Eventually a grant was provided by the state government for a part-time worker to assist in co-ordinating children’s activities. As the need for playgroup and childcare services became evident, the State Government was petitioned for a permanent playgroup and childcare Centre.
Today, Allira is a well-known Aboriginal managed and governed organisation responsible for Government funded best practice aged care, early childhood education and licensed childcare and housing services.
To clarify the Child Care needs of Dubbo’s Aboriginal population the mothers decided to carry out a research themselves by surveying the familles in the areas they lived (approximately 3,000) through dividing Dubbo’s Aboriginal population in a grid type fashion. The research looked at why the Aboriginal community were not using the existing Child Care services in Dubbo and to see if this warranted the establishment of an Aboriginal Pre-school. The results of the research showed that the Aboriginal people in Dubbo were not using the existing centre due to: the high cost of the Child Care Centres; that other Child Care Centres were operated by ‘White’ people and they didn’t feel comfortable with them; they were unable to communicate effectively with the operators of other centres; and no transport was available to get their children to the Child Care Centres
With the results of this survey in hand the mothers group decided to petition the Department of Community Services and Health for a permanent centre to operate Child Care activities.
At this stage the group moved to a garage at one of the mother’s houses, where because the mothers were paying for all operational costs of the centre, the games, the meals, etc themselves, they could operate on a permanent basis and cheaply. The transport of the children to and from the centre was taken in turns by the mothers. Once again the demand grew to such an extent that larger premises were required.
Before the group could develop any further it was decided that it was necessary to become a constituted body. The group became incorporated under the Companies Act, as the Dubbo Aboriginal Pre-school on the 28th May, 1985.
The Pre-school petitioned the Department of Housing in Dubbo for a home in which to operate the playgroup centre, until such time as they acquired their own buildings. The group were able to rent and move into the home towards the end of 1985.
The centre as established at this stage was to function with an 80% Aboriginal and 20% non-Aboriginal childrens population, catering for children who were toilet trained to school age ie: five years old, operating five days a week Monday to Friday, offering general preschool activities and skills and Aboriginal cultural activities.