Gail Mabo still remembers where she was when she learned that her father had won her case against the state of Queensland in the Australian High Court.
Warning: Aboriginal and island readers in the Torres Strait are advised that this article contains images and names of people who have died.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Mabo’s decision to demolish land nullius, an expression that stated that land was not owned by anyone before the white settlement.
Eddie Mabo died five months before the decision was made. (Provided by: Jim McEwan)
Sitting in the car in Kempsey with her newborn son on June 3, 1992, Ms. Mabo says the news came out on the radio.
“I thought, ‘Did they just mention my father’s name?’ “And then I just cried,” he said.
As she watched her son, Mrs. Mabo said she heard thunder.
“I always tell my kids that when you hear that thunder, that’s Ate [grandfather]this is your grandfather moving the furniture because he’s going to dance. “
Ms. Mabo says the next hurdle was to make it easier for First Nations people to claim their land.
“The Native Title Act gave more power to the natives,” he said.
“When [the Act] They went down and put more hoops on them to make them jump and it made it harder for them to succeed like my father. “
He also hoped that his son would continue the fight so that June 3 would be marked as a holiday.
Mabo fought for more than a decade, but died of cancer at the age of 55, five months before the decision was made.
A lifetime of learning
“I remember the first time she said she was taking the government to court by land, and I am 15 years old,” Ms Mabo said.
“He’s trying to tell us what the legal battle was, but it’s so far from what we never knew we couldn’t really understand.”
Three decades later, Ms. Mabo says it has taken time to fully understand what her father achieved.
“I sit down at the national library and check his papers and it’s like I’ve re-introduced myself to him again,” he said.
Mrs Mabo now shares her legacy with her grandchildren.
Eddie Mabo began working at James Cook University in the 1960’s. (Supplied by: James Cook University)
“[They] they are stories of a man who was a gardener, but he managed to achieve other things, “he said.
“They need to know the connection to space, the connection to their land on Murray Island, and that comes out through stories.”
Life in Mer
Torres Strait Islander Elder and friend of Mr. Mabo, Francis Tapim, says the anniversary is a reminder to share his stories with the next generation.
“[It’s about] making sure they really understand what it means for them to be on their own land and what it means for Australia to now be recognized as the first people in that country, ”he said.
Murray Island, also known as Mer, is located in Torres Strait. (Supplied by: Australian Institute of Marine Sciences / Ray Berkelmans)
Mr. Tapim lived in Mer [Murray Island] as a child and remembers spending most of his time on a boat with his father.
“[My dad] he taught me how to make fishing spears and he taught me how to dive, ”he said.
“My job was to go out and look for the fish because it’s the only meat we had on the island.”
When the decision was passed in 1992, Tapim says there was a sense of pride among Meriams.
“We turned this place upside down, Australia and the world,” he said.
The High Court calls the telephone booth
Bryan Keon-Cohen AM CQ was a junior lawyer in the case and recalled having to relay the news of the momentous decision.
Bryan Keon-Cohen and Francis Tapim look back 30 years since Mabo’s decision. (ABC North Qld: Rachael Merritt)
“I went up to the bar in the High Court building and called the only phone number I knew existed on Murray Island, which was a public telephone booth outside. [the council]”Dr. Keon-Cohen said.
“A lady answered and I said, ‘Hello, my name is Bryan … I’m calling you from the High Court … you’ve won your case.’
Dr. Keon-Cohen says the lady at the other end of the line exploded with cries of exaltation.
“She dropped the phone and I just heard,‘ Let’s win, we’ll win ’and I understand the phone was left swaying in the breeze and I was left swaying with it,” she said.