Last year I was a Visiting Lecturer in the Aboriginal Studies Program at Armidale C.A.E. Before lectures began, I was invited by the College to a dinner honoring recently graduated Aboriginal students. At that dinner a number of graduates were introduced and invited to comment about their experiences in tertiary education. As each graduate spoke, it became apparent that many had shared similar experiences. For instance, many confided that they were initially very apprehensive about enrolling in formal schooling. Their apprehension was due to a sense of self-doubt as to whether they were willing to make the necessary sacrifices, as well as to a shared premonition that, as one student commented, “for most Aboriginal people, going through formal schooling is like taking a journey into the unknown.”

This paper centres on the theme of adult learning by reporting through specific illustration how a small group of mature students successfully got over the formal learning hurdle of education when faced with pre-tertiary syllabus components. The study also presents a concrete breakdown and examples of the students’ approach to work or, to use Christie's phrase again, of the “product goals” they were aiming at.

Aboriginal people in Western Australia experience very high rates of imprisonment. In June 1985 the percentage of Aboriginal people in prisons in Western Australia was 32.7% (Walker and Biles 1986:23) and a large number of these were young men. Aboriginal people constitute 2.5% of the total population of Western Australia which means they are over represented at a rate of 12%(W.A.A.E.C.G. 1987:32). These figures have been extensively researched and documented (Hazlehurst 1987, Eggleston 1976 and Martin and Newby 1986) perhaps to the detriment of Aboriginal people (Parker 1987:140). Parker believes these high rates are due to the socio-economic and political status of Aboriginal people in our society, and suggests education programs about Aboriginal culture should be introduced to judicial agents accompanied by "the promotion of Aboriginal autonomy and independence in the areas of health, housing, education and employment" (Parker 1987:137). Broadhurst (1987:152) reinforces this view, asserting that the over representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system is a result of deprivation and economic dependence and the development of the north-west, rather than an aspect of Aboriginality (Broadhurst 1987:179). He urges that prisons be used as a ’last resort‘.

This essay provides an analysis and evaluation of The Emu Hunting Kit. It looks at the background to the production of the materials and the problem which arose in deciding in which language to publish. Then the kit is discussed under five clusters of issues which relate to the production of a kit of Aboriginal Studies: the preparation, presentation, content, cultural attitudes and the teaching of the unit.

One of the most important issues in planning and implementing Aboriginal Studies at Higher School Certificate level is that of teacher quality. We need to consider the kinds of people who will be teaching Aboriginal Studies since this will have a direct bearing on the kind of program we end up with. There are a number of different perspectives which need to be considered.