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| Eddie Koiki Mabo, © James Cook University |
On Mabo Day we look back at the work and achievements of Eddie Koiki Mabo who played a key role in the changing of Australian law and therefore the recognition of the rights of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Follow this link to listen to and watch Koiki Mabo give a lecture on the Torres Strait Islander Community for free, online through NQHeritage@JCU - the Library's repository for the Special Collections.
During this fifty minute recording, we hear the authoritative voice of Koiki Mabo, a confident and articulate multilingual man. He speaks of the history of the Torres Strait Islander community both in the Torres Strait and on the Australian mainland and the long term impact on his culture of the coming of the white man, from the first missionaries to current government administrators.
Delivered as part of the Race & Culture course in 1982 it allows privileged access to a historical moment in time where Koiki Mabo is at the beginning of his decade long land rights court battle. He had attended the Land Rights Conference the year before, organised by the politically active JCU Student Association, and this is where he met with visiting lawyers and scholars who saw the merit in his case and agreed to support it.
Visit the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library on the Bebegu Yumba Campus, Townsville to learn more about our shared histories other cultures. See the Special Collections Displays on level 1. Members of the public are welcome to visit during our serviced hours - check here for current times.
If you would like to know more about the Special Collections please get in touch by emailing specialcollections@jcu.edu.au
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