Background

Eli Westlake aged 21, was tragically killed in Sydney on 7th June 2008.

At the suggestion of his friends and in honour of Eli, his family have established the Smugglers of Light Foundation to provide assistance to young indigenous musicians and youth at risk through programs of taking film-makers and musicians to indigenous and "at risk" communities to develop song-writing, story-telling, musicianship and performance skills.

The Australasian Performing Right Assn (APRA) has agreed to work with us to establish and run the Smugglers of Light Foundation.

APRA is a non-profit collecting society, established in 1926, for songwriters, composers and music publishers.

The Foundation has been established to accept donations, to be held in trust, to be used to further the objectives of the Foundation, and to that end, the trustees resolved to establish a charitable trust and have been successful in seeking incorporation for the purposes of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 and relevant New South Wales legislation.

Purpose

       The objectives and purposes for which the Foundation is established are as follows:

• To introduce song-writing, musicianship and performance skills to youth at risk and indigenous communities.

• To document on film and/or audio, the performances of indigenous musicians.

• To teach skills in song-writing to indigenous musicians and youth at risk.

• To assist in the provision of musical education and training to persons in the area of youth and indigenous music,
  in order to improve the outreach of musical education and storytelling in Australia.

• To provide facilities for education and training including scholarships, research grants and travel grants to persons in the area of musical education in youth at risk and

        indigenous communities to develop and improve the musical education of young indigenous Australians.

• To facilitate exchange programs between indigenous communities and education institutions in Australia

• To facilitate musical development and innovation in Australian indigenous communities; and

• To encourage performance of contemporary community music