Eddie Mabo Timeline

  • When and Where He Was Born

    Eddie Mabo was born on 29 June, 1936, on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait
  • Jobs

    He moved to Townsville in Queensland and worked a variety of jobs including working on pearling boats, cutting cane and a railway fettler
  • Married and Children

    At some point in 1959 he married Bonita Neehow and had 10 children
  • Activist in the Referendum campaign

    He was an activist in the 1967 Referendum campaign and helped open the Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service
  • Co Founder of a Black Community School

    Eddie Mabo became co-founder of the Townsville black community school one of the first schools ever in Australia. The school started with ten students
  • His First Speech

    Eddie Mabo gave his first speech at a land rights event at the James Cook University explaining the traditional land ownership of Mer Island
  • Legal claim for ownership

    Eddie Mabo and other Mer Islanders, Reverend David Passi, Celuia Mapoo Salee, Sam Passi and James Rice started their legal claim for ownership of their land rights on the island of Mer at the High Court Australia
  • Death

    On the 21st of January aged 56 Eddie Mabo passed away from cancer
  • Eddie and others won the case

    On the 3rd of June, 1992 the High Court of Australia finally decided that Eddie Mabo and other protesters had finally won and received their land rights and ownership of there land which was taken away from them in the 1788 when the British first came
  • Mabo Case

    After his death, The High Court of Australia decided to in favour of Eddie Mabo's doings to make the Mabo Case