Badge, AAL Building Appeal, Australia, 1970

Alternative Name: Button Badge for Building Appeal for Aborigines' Advancement League, Australia. In March 1957 the Aborigines Advancement League was formed to replace the Save the Aborigines Committee (which had been formed in response to the Warburton Ranges crisis).

The inaugural office holders were Gordon Bryant as president, Doris Blackburn as deputy president, Stan Davey as secretary and Pastor Doug Nicholls as field officer. The organisation grew rapidly over the next few years and branches were established through suburban Melbourne and in country Victoria. Early political activity included the drafting and circulating of a petition requesting a referendum to amend the Constitution so as to empower the federal parliament to legislate in Aboriginal affairs. A second early action was to establish a defence fund for Albert Namatjira who was appealing his conviction of supplying liquor to an Aboriginal ward of the state.

In the late 1960s the organisation moved to full Aboriginal control. Still operating today, it is the oldest Indigenous organisation in Australia. Circular, plastic coated metal badge in yellow, black and red. A black-box like shape in the centre divides the badge into three sections. In the centre is a boomerang with three hoops, two above the boomerang and one sitting around its top. The words 'AAL' also appear here. The remaining text appears in the two sections flanking the central strip. The metal pin is attached to the back.