Grafton

1965

Grafton

We were up early; we had to be out of the hall by nine that morning. The morning was spent peacefully writing things. Today was quite a travesty everything we did was recorded; there were plenty of photos taken. Mr Miles had prepared a tape for us he was from the ABC. It was about the conditions of being an Aboriginal, the little rights we have and the poor living conditions. He had told us that the tape had been made for us two years ago but had never been used, only now he felt that it could make a difference. Apparently it was untimely for the ABC. He then started criticizing our ways of fighting for freedom. We tried to talk to him and tell him our point of view. He didn’t see that the problem was much more greater then the simple question of questioning. He then told us to dress more appropriately; formal is the word he used, he said we weren’t on a holiday and to treat this journey almost like a business trip. Altogether he was a very interesting man but not exactly understanding about our situation. After this we had an intense discussion about the SAFA’s future plans.  We overruled the motion of raising the scholarships and decided that not many more decisions could be made.

Bogabilla

1965

Bogabilla

http://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/1965-freedom-ride

We were awake and out of Moree by 9:30 Thursday morning and arrived in Bogabilla at 15 past 12 and ate in the nearby beer garden which was covered by grape vines. After we were finished there we met up with the manager at the reserve, we later establish that he was a real snake. We went around and spoke to a lot of people. The majority of them told us that the manager had told them not to answer any of our questions, but they did anyway. The people in this town are the chattiest and the most approachable so far. The houses we stayed in were very crowded. There was no clean water but the taps were connected up to the river so we still had access to water no matter how hygienic. No gas or electricity, which we expected because of the “warm welcome”, we got from the manager. Some of the local aborigines told us some stories about the coppas around here. Like how they come into their houses whenever they like to see who had been drinking and how they do whatever they like to the women. I am quite disgusted by this it is horrible the way the aboriginals were treated. We found out that the children go to their own school, which was good news, but then we were told that not many kids make it past sixth grade. Most of the girls become domestics and from what I have heard the working environments are repulsive. The men are usually shearers and the men I spoke to all seem to agree that the working conditions could be worse. There is one thing we can all agree on though and that is that everyone would much rather live in town then on the reserve.   

https://twitter.com/themiacat/status/568039082942545921

Walgett

1965

Walgett

It is Tuesday today and we are off to Walgett. We left Gulargambone at around four pm and are due in Walgett at about seven 0’clock. I am actually quite scared to turn up, they say it is quite a racist town but I know this is for a good cause and know that it works because of the outcome Martin Luther King jnr. received with his freedom ride. I read most of the way but we arrived at ten to seven. On the way to the hall one of the aborigine boys from South Australia taught us how to throw a boomerang, I had a go and quite enjoyed it. Once we had completed setting up in the hall we went for a swim and watched the boys vs a few local aboriginal boys at some basketball matches.

We woke up at seven thirty at least it felt like seven thirty and heard over the radio that we have planned to strike against the RSL at twelve. We were all quite taken that the news had gotten out so we had a meeting and all agreed to accept the cops demands and also decided that anyone acting violently would be instantly suspended then the group would have a meeting to decide weather that person would go home or not. We went to Namoi River Settlement the next day to do a few surveys. The majority of people I talked to were shy, to themselves and withdrawn but yet still said they were happy. The living conditions were quite shocking. There were jammed tin sheds with mud floors and we had to use mucky water. The feeling we got from the town was that aborigines were not acknowledged in the white peoples social ladder, we particularly got that feeling from the RSL, the Oasis hotel and the Frock shop. We have a long ride ahead of us.

 Video From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?                         v=0Biy1fJXTGQ

Gulargambone

1965

Gulargambone

Today we are leaving for Gulargambone. I am pretty excited about this, I wonder what is going to happen on this trip. Will I be able to help Charles out with the freedom ride. I am on this freedom ride because I want to make a difference, I want to give the Aboriginals the rights they deserve. I want to be able to convince the other white people to respect the aborigines at the least. We leave at 9:15 Sunday morning, which is today. On our way I hear over the radio people talking about what we are doing. We arrive at our destination at around 11:30. It is said that only a particular type of aborigines are allowed. This town is very small with only one café and pub. Everyone was impressed with our interviews and we were given approval to go on reserve for an hour which is better then nothing if you think of it. We got to speak to Mr and Mrs Baxter they are quite old but in fact very interesting. The cops in this town are very much disliked, not many of them accept what we are doing although they cant do anything about it because the freedom ride is a peaceful protest and is educating others on our poor living conditions. We are doing this to bring attention to the poor living conditions and their lack of human rights. We hope to point out the social judgment between the aboriginals and the white people. We also aspired to support the aboriginals themselves to fight that racist comments and actions that they received from the white residents.

 http://indigenousrights.net.au/civil_rights/freedom_ride,_1965  http://aiatsis.gov.au/exhibitions/1965-freedom-ride