The Rona Tranby Trust was established as a result of a bequest from Thomas Paul Rona who died tragically, with his wife Eva in a car accident in September 1987.

In his will, the late Mr Rona directed that a specific proportion of his Estate be held for the benefit of Tranby College or the Aboriginal Legal Service according to the discretion of the Trustees of the Estate.  The bequest enabled the trustees to establish The Rona Tranby Award and Collection: a collaboration between Tranby College and the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies to support the recording and preservation of Aboriginal oral history.

Tranby College is an independent college run by the Co-operative for Aborigines Ltd, providing a wide range of adult educational services to Australia's Indigenous communities.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies is the roof body of the NSW Jewish community, including representatives from 63 cultural, educational, welfare and religious Jewish organisations.

The Ronas were holocaust survivors who lost many family members in the Nazi camps. Both were committed social justice activists, taking a keen role in raising awareness of the Holocaust within the non-Jewish community.  As members of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies they were active in promoting inter-ethnic harmony.

In setting up the Rona Tranby Award, it was agreed that parallels between Aboriginal and Jewish history gave a compelling logic to link these different communities. Both peoples share important values and priorities and have suffered persecution, dispossession of lands and attempted genocide.

The original concept of the Award was to utilize the expertise that had been cultivated within the Jewish community in the recording of the oral history of Holocaust survivors. Such knowledge could benefit and assist the Aboriginal community in recording the oral history of their Elders.

As the Foundation has developed, other members of the wider community have contributed significantly to various Rona Tranby projects, such as Professor Heather Goodall who has recorded the oral history of Aunty Isabel Flick and Kevin Cook.

The Deed of Trust was finalised at a public ceremony at Tranby College (the adult education centre in Glebe for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders) on September 2nd 1991 in the presence of the Minister assisting the Premier on Aboriginal and Ethnic Affairs, Paul Zammit.

The three initial Trustees were Kevin Tory (Tranby), Roland Gridiger (Executors) and Margaret Gutman(NSWJBD).

The awards have to date supported 8 varied and valuable projects throughout Australia.

The Current Trustees:

Maurice Shipp, Chairman - Executive Director, Tranby Aboriginal College

Jennifer Symonds - Representative, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies

Roland E Gridiger - Representative, Trustees of the Estate of the late Tom Rona.