History of AKWA
HISTORY OF AKWA
| 1976 | Founded by a group of prominent Korean professionals, including Dr. Jae-Rin Woo, Dr. Jun-Hak Yoo, Dr. Kyung-Jae Lee, Dr. Seok-Hwan Kim, Father Tae-Bong Lee, and Dr. Byung-Heon Ru, to help newly arrived first-generation immigrant families with their initial settlement. |
| 1979 | Registered with the Australian government as an official organisation. |
| 1980 | Approved as a non-profit charitable organisation. |
| 1983 |
Received first funding from the Australian government. First Korean Australian organisation to hire two paid staff members. |
| 1994 |
Lobbied the NSW government to introduce Korean language education in high schools, resulting in the launch of Saturday Korean classes in four high schools in the state and the hiring of 20 Korean language teachers (jointly by the Welfare Association and the State Education Department's Education Committee). The Australian Korean Welfare Association's president was also the chairman of the state's Saturday Korean language school sponsor). |
| 1994 | Received a donation of 18,700 Korean books from the Korean National Assembly and donated them to the Australian Federal Parliament, state parliaments, councils and school libraries. |
| 2000 | Organised Korean citizenship ceremony in collaboration with the Australian Department of Immigration (353 people). The citizenship ceremony continued for seven years and was then discontinued. |
| 2006 | Launched the first Korean Day care centre (currently running). |
| 2011 | Former President Lee Kyung Jae was awarded the Order of Australia. |
| 2011 | to 2017, operated the Day Care Dutton Centre and the office of the Korean Welfare Association of Australia in Campsie. |
| 2012 | Approved by the Australian Taxation Office as a deductible gift recipient (DGR). Purchased an office in Campsie for the organisation. |
| 2013 | Cultural Class with Professor Sang Dae Han at the Lidcombe Community Centre. |
| 2015 | Purchased a conference room in Campsie for the organisation. |
| 2019 | President Yong-Jae Lee receives the Order of Australia. |
| 2021 | President Yong-Jae Lee donated $300,000 to commemorate 40 years of service to the Australian Korean Welfare Association. |
| 2021 | President Yong-Jae Lee's eldest daughter, Joy Lee ($200,000), and second daughter, Jeanie Lee ($200,000), lent 20 years of interest-free loans to the Australian Korean Welfare Association. |
| 2021 | to 2022, operated the AKWA Centre and AKWA meeting rooms in Campsie. |
| 2021 | Sold Campsie conference room ($300,000 increase in wealth). |
| 2022 | Sold Campsie office ($160,000 increase in wealth). |
| 2022 | Purchased of the current main office in Homebush West (1st and 2nd floors). |
| 2022 | to present (2024), operating the AKWA head office and meeting room, as well as the Day Care Centre at Strathfield High Street Community Hall. |
| 2022 | Australian Korean Welfare Association finally received its long-awaited license for Home Care Package Programme (domestic services) on 26 October. |
| 2023 | Signed a business agreement with Melbourn Donum Day, receiving the first Home Care Package service client and starting domestic services in Melbourn, Victoria. |
| 2023 | Started a second Home Care Package service in Brisbane, Queensland and opened a Day care centre(Jeans School). |
| 2023 | Mr. Kwang-ha Park(director) and his wife are the first clients in Sydney on 8 August. |
| 2023 | Signed a business agreement with Enlighten Caring to start serving Home Care Package customers. |
| 2023 | Signed a partnership with EDU LIFE Australia to study Aged Care Certi 3 & 4 courses at the AKWA. |
| 2023 | Signed a business agreement as a sub-agency with C&H Horizontal in Perth, Western Australia. |
| 2024 | Signed a business agreement with Sydney OHappy Care to start customer service. |
| 2024 | Signed a business agreement with the Korean Religious Social Welfare Council. |
| 2024 | Kim Seok-hwan, former Secretary General of the AKWA, was awarded the Order of Australia by the Australian government in June. |
| 2024 | from June to August, the AKWA's Home Care Package service is on special promotion, offering special management fees for clients transferring from other companies, and special deals for religious leaders (pastors, priests, school administrators, monks) and social welfare workers who have served in welfare organisations for a long time. |
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