Eddie Koiki Mabo 1936-1992

Who was Eddie Mabo and where was he born? Eddie Mabo was appointed leader of the Murray Island community to fight for land rights on a Torres Strait Island called Mer Island also known as Murray Island so they could own their land. He was born in 1936 on Murray Island. He was born Eddie Koiki Sambo but his mother died not long after his birth and he was given to his uncle, Benny Mabo and his wife to be brought up. He then became Eddie Mabo and was called Koiki (Caldicott, n.d, p. 1).

Mabo’s life At seventeen, Mabo got himself into some minor teenage trouble and was exiled from Murray Island by the Island council, which was strictly governed by the Queensland Government. He worked on pearling boats and then moved to Townsville to work on the railways when his Island exile was continued. Until this time Mabo had always thought the land belonged to his people and he was to inherit his share of Murray Island but the land had been branded ‘no-one’s land’ by the British over 200 years earlier. (Caldicott, n.d, p. 1)

Mabo had 10 children with his wife Bonita Neehow Mabo married Bonita Neehow in 1959 at the age of 23 and after many jobs, eventually began working as a gardener at the James Cook University where he would often sit in on seminars and go to the library(Caldicott, n.d, p. 1).

The turning point In 1967 he was 31 when he began working at the university and he read about what anthropologists were saying about his people in the Torres Strait Islands. He discovered whilst working at that university that the land was not owned by his people as they had all assumed and this was a turning point for Mabo. In 1974 when he was 38 he had a discussion with two professors at the university who clarified his shocking findings(Caldicott, n.d, p. 1).

The Land Rights conference at James Cook University - 1981 In 1981 when Mabo was 45, there was a Land Rights’ conference held at James Cook University. Mabo made an important speech explaining the way land rights worked on Murray Island where he was from. A lawyer present at the conference thought that there could be a test case here for the Murray Islanders to claim their land for their own(Caldicott, n.d, p. 1).

The 10 year battle in court The Murray Island community rallied together and decided to take their case to the courts. Mabo was appointed the leader of the group. After a ten-year battle in the courts Mabo’s health was waning. In that ten years there were set backs and Mabo felt like giving up at times but somewhere he knew he would win the case. (Caldicott, n.d, p. 1).

His job was done Sadly Mabo got cancer and fought to the end but died in 1992 aged 56, just five months before the judge announced ‘native title existed and it was up to the Aboriginal or Islander people to determine who owned what land’. Mabo told his ten children on his deathbed they would own their land one day(Caldicott, n.d, p. 1).

How did this affect the Australian people? Mabo’s fight was a historical turning point in Australia. It was the first time in history an Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander person had taken a land rights case to court, stuck at it (for ten years) and won. To win their own land title they had to prove they had lived there continuously since European settlement which of course they could.

March for Eddie Mabo and Reconciliation Festival - 04/06/2012

My Far North Queensland Tour - 2001 When I was 25 I toured many schools in a 5-week tour to far north Queensland with a duo children’s show. Myself, a musician and a pilot visited tiny and big primary schools. Many of them were solely Aboriginal or Islander children. We went to schools in Charleville, Townsville, Weipa, Bamaga, Doomagee, Normanton, Mornington Island and many more.

We spent 10 days touring the very remote Torres Strait Islands and this was a highlight. We took a light aircraft taking our show from Island to Island. On one big day we went to 3 Islands and one of them was Mer or Murray Island. On the next slide is a photo of me when I was 25, looking less than womanly in front of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s grave.

Me at Eddie Mabo’s grave in 2001

Eddie Mabo’s grave on murray Island It was moved there from Townsville after being vandalised one night after a memorial celebration following his death three years earlier. When he was buried on Murray Island, his people performed a traditional ceremony, which hadn’t been seen on the Island for eighty years. The ceremony meant that Eddie Mabo had been buried as a king (Caldicott, n.d, p. 1). What a brave strong soul to take this fight to the courts, I admire him.

References: Agius, K 2012, ‘Eddie Mabo’s wife joins march in Townsville’, Brisbane Times, 3rd June, retrieved 21st September 2012, http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/eddie-mabos-wife-joins- march-in-townsville-20120603-1zpop.html Caldicott, H ‘Eddie Mabo’, retrieved 21st September 2012, http://www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/australians/emabo.htm Commonwealth of Australia, 2011, ‘Newslines radio: Eddie Mabo’s victory’, retrieved 21st September 2012, http://www.indigenous.gov.au/radio/radiojune10_1/ Ellis K, 2001, ‘Photos of myself at Mabo’s grave on Murray Island’, retrieved 19th September 2012, from my Photo Album  Monts, W, 2012, ‘March for Eddie Mabo and Reconciliation Festival - 04/06/2012’, Townsville Bulletin, 4th June, retrieved 21st September 2012, http://tools.townsvillebulletin.com.au/photo- gallery/photo_gallery_popup.php?category_id=15101