February 2015 is the 50th anniversary of Charles Perkins' and Sydney University's Freedom Ride from Wellington, Walgett, Moree, Gulargambone, Boggabilla, Bowraville, Kempsey etc, but having learnt of Rachel Perkins' proposal to travel with Noel Pearson to commemorate this historic occasion, this commemorative re-enactment of the original Freedom Ride will not be celebrated for what the original Freedom ride stood for – that is fighting racism and apartheid, but rather for the people of these towns' rejection of Noel Pearson's presence. The people who are directly involved in the original Freedom Ride from Walgett and Moree have made it very clear that Noel Pearson is not welcome in our country and if the re-enactment for the Freedom Ride is to be remembered for the right things then leave Noel Pearson at home.
The local people originally involved in the Freedom Ride, their
descendants and other Aboriginal supporters are promising to block the
Freedom Ride bus from coming into town if Noel Pearson is present. The
reason for the rejection of Noel Pearson is clear. He is viewed as a
traitor and a supporter of assimilation policies. White people love him
because he helps to transfer the burden of responsibility from them and
creates a blaming the victim mentality.
If Rachel Perkins and the whites who are intending to travel on this
commemorative trip are wanting it to be successful, then they need to
talk to the people involved in the original community confrontations.
What Rachel Perkins does not realise is that going through the current
local Aboriginal organisations may be viewed as going through the right
protocols, but to exclude the families who were directly involved in
1965 is an insult of the highest order.
It is totally irresponsible for those funding this re-enactment not to
be assured that they have included the original families in each of the
communities, who met the Freedom Ride bus and supported them at that
time. A number of these people are still alive and their memory of this
occasion is not necessarily one of joy, because of their participation
in directing and supporting the Freedom Ride protesters, resulted in
severe local community backlash against them.
Unfortunately it is a stigma that has stayed with the people to this day. For example, the
family of the late Harry
Hall were literally banned by the white
community from ever getting employment in their home town of Walgett. It
wasn't until the late 1980s that one of the sons and the daughter of the
Late Harry Hall actually got a job in Walgett, while the older offspring
and their cousins had to leave Walgett to get a job when they reached
adulthood.
The same is said for the children of Lyall
Munro in Moree, for his
children were unable to secure any job in Moree and most of them were
forced into working in the cottonfields in Wee
Waa and Narrabri, while
some of his offspring had to move out of Moree.
It is stories like this that flowed as a repercussion of that original
1965 Freedom Ride. The absolute insensitivity of those organising the
50th anniversary clearly failed to give due respect to those families.
Instead the organisers seem to be thinking of their own grandiose plans
in order to gain public notoriety. This is not just a celebration. It
needs to have some solemn reflection on what that trip was all about and
the consequences that flowed locally.
The NSW
Aboriginal Land Council refused to hear Harry Hall's eldest
son's proposal for the Freedom ride reunion, but rather gave priority to
Rachel Perkins' submission because her cousin, Mr Turner, recommended
it, as he is the CEO of NSW Aboriginal Land Council. The monies given by
the NSW Aboriginal Land Council are said to be for the purpose of having
Rachel Perkins followed by a film crew from which a movie documentary
will be made. The NSW Aboriginal Land Council has, it appears, given the
money without any qualifications – that is, if the film is distributed
widely then Rachel will be the one who will benefit. No one is aware of
whether Rachel intends to put monies from the film doco back into the
communities.
Like everything in Aboriginal Affairs today history is being re-enacted
and the script re-written.
One thing that not many people are aware of is that my Aunty Pat
Hickey-Walford was the only person arrested at this time. I think it had
little to do with the 1965 Freedom Ride, but more about her publicly
exposing the white business men, workers and property owners who
fathered Aboriginal children in the district and thereby were denying
their own blood, their own children, the right to go to the cinemas or
in the swimming pools.
Background:
http://indigenousrights.net.au/civil_rights/freedom_ride,_1965
Contact:
Ghillar Michael Anderson,
Convenor and Joint Spokesperson of Sovereign Union of First Nations and
Peoples in Australia and Head of State of the Euahlayi Peoples Republic
ghillar29@gmail.com 0427 292 492
www.sovereignunion.mobi
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Back on track
I am responding to a confrontation that has occurred between those organising 1965 Freedom Ride re-enactment, in particular Rachel Perkins who took offence to my comments. The intention of my statement of 5 January 2015 was not to offend anyone but to set matters straight.
It was revealed that Noel Pearson was expected to be part of the Freedom Ride re-enactment, but this has been refuted by Rachel and I accept her explanation, as we spoke for over an hour by phone. I informed her that when she is organising things in conjunction with the NSW Aboriginal Land Council not to allow any inferences, such as Noel Pearson's presence, because confidentiality within the State Land Council is not its strong point. It was stated from with the NSW State Land Council that monies from the State Land Council were for the purpose of filming the reenactment. Sydney University is the principle funder of this re enactment through Shane Houston and the Aboriginal education unit.
Having spoken with Rachel Perkins and Phillip Hall, the eldest son of the late Harry Hall, an adjustment to the organising of the trip has been made, which will now see more of the people of 1965 engaged in the re-enactment. It is now understood that all of the Hall family and my mother Mavis Eckford, representing her sister Pat Hickey-Walford, will now be involved in the re-enactment at Walgett. In Moree Phillip Hall has advised me that the Munro family will be very well represented.
It is understood that one of the original non-Aboriginal students, Jim Spigelman, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW, will arrive in Moree to coincide with the arrival of the Freedom Ride bus for this re-enactment.
Having now talked to all the parties, which was not done in the first instance, matters have now been corrected and we expect that this Freedom Ride re-enactment will be just as explosive and noteworthy as the original one.
Considering the issues that Aboriginal people face today, many Aboriginal people of the 1965 vintage now argue that we may have advanced with bricks and mortar and have achieved better educational outcomes, given the fights we have had in the past for rights, but overall our people are worse off now than they ever were. We have much to talk and protest about on this trip.
Contact: Ghillar Michael Anderson, Convenor and Joint Spokesperson of Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples in Australia and Head of State of the Euahlayi Peoples Republic, ghillar29@gmail.com 0427 292 492 www.sovereignunion.mobi
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