| In the mid-1960s after leading the successful Freedom Ride through northern NSW, Charlie Perkins then teamed up with former wharfie Chicka Dixon and set up the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs (FAA) in Sydney. The FAA established a centre in George Street near Railway Square and provided both welfare support and a drop-in/social space where Indigenous people could congregate. The organisation quickly became the focal point of a growing indigenous community in Sydney and was the popular venue for community functions, dances and concerts. It also provided a political platform for Perkins, Dixon and others to agitate about issues such as the 1967 referendum and land rights. |
| The Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs also has historic significance because it was where the next generation of Koori political activists first met each other and became interested and involved in the political struggle. These activists, who included Paul Coe, Gary Foley, Gary Williams, Lyn & Billy Craigie, James Miller and many others, went on become leaders of the political movement that set up the Aboriginal Embassy in 1972 and created the new indigenous self-determination programs such as legal and health services. |