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The British arrived in Australia
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Anthony Martin Fernando was born
Raj Naji painted a potrait of Fernando in his skeleton coat which he described as what the Australian government had done to his people. -
In the 20th Century, Indigenous people lived in institutions known as missions
These missions were church missions, government reserves and places of settlement that were run by White Australians, reserved for Aboriginals. -
Anthony Martin Fernando protested outside London's Australian House in the 1920s and 30s.
Fernando was fed up with the injustice done to the Aborigines where white Australians went unpunished for murdering and ill treating Indigenous Australians. -
The Australian Aborigines League was founded.
In the 1930s, the Australian Aborigines League was founded in Melbourne by WIlliam Cooper. This group supported indigenous rights campaigns until Cooper died. Soon after his death, the group was revived by Bill Onus and Douglas Nicholls -
First Aboriginal to be selected to play for the Vic Interstate Team
Douglas Nicholls was well known for playing Australian Rules football. A talent scout encouraged him to play for Carlton but due to discrimination from other players he was not allowed to play. -
Aborigines Conference Day of Mourning.
On the Day of Mourning, white Australians and Aboriginals came together to mourn the deaths of those who died by the hand of non-Indigenous Australians. -
John Moriarty was born.
At age 5, John Moriarty, of Yanuwa descent, was taken from his mother at Borroloola without her consent. This was his dressing robe worn during his time spent away from his family at St Francis' house in Adelaide. Moriarty represented both his state and his country playing soccer. -
Bill Onus protested for Aboriginal rights in the 1940s
Bill Onus and Doug Nicholls revived the Australian Aborigines League after the founder, William Cooper, passed away in 1941. This is a protest banner made by Bill Onus in the 1940s. Onus protested to the governments pleading to gain more rights for the Aborigines. -
Joe McGinnes worked in the Wharvies in the 1950s
Joe McGinnes was an Aboriginal Activist who used the Wharfies Hook in the Wharvies in Cairns after serving in the second world war. He travelled around the country and protested for the Aboriginals. He later became president of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. -
Marcia Langton was born
Langton is a descendent of the Yiman people in Queensland. She is an educationalist and proffesor who has had experience in working as an anthropologist in Indigenous affairs. She serves as a member on the Legal and Cultural Issues Sub-Committe for the Centre of Aboriginal Reconciliation. -
Aboriginals were declared wards of the state.
Wards of state could not marry without permission, be legal guardians of their children, consume alcohol, move around freely or control their own money. -
Albert Namitjira was sent to jail.
Albert Namitjira was sent to jail for supplying alcohol to a family member. In 1958 it was illegal for Aboriginals to consume alcohol. -
Old Bowraville/Raymond Theatre was built and used in 1960s
Aboriginal people had to sit in the front of the theatre on hard wooden seats while the white Australians were more privileged sitting on cushioned seats. Aborigines were not allowed to enter from the front door and this theatre represents the time when non-Indigenous Australians were considered superior to Aboriginals. -
The Yirrkala Bark petition was presented to the Federal Parliament.
This was the first time that the document presented by Indigenous Australians was accepted by the government. It was presented because the Aboriginal community strongly opposed mining by white people. The case was rejected 5 years later because the judge found that the original rights of the Yirrkala people were believed to be vanquished since the Europeans first colonised Australia. -
Aboriginal Wave Hill Station workers in the Northern Territory walked off the job.
This is a wave hill spur owned by Sabu Sing. He was a wellknown cattleman and worked on the Wave Hill Station. The Aboriginal pastoral workers led a strike leading to equal wages. However the Gurindji people saw this as a wage and land dispute as many Aboriginal people were evicted from their stations located on their traditional land. 9 years later, the Gurindji people were issued a lease to some of their land. -
Prime Minister Gough Whitlam return the land of Wave Hill (Kalkiringi) back to the Gurindjiri people.
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Referendum
Faith Bandler campaigned for the 1967 Referendum, working towards the acceptance of Aborigines and for equality. These white day gloves were owned by Bandler which she wore when protesting for Aboriginal rights. The gloves represented the formal dress code popular among middle class white women. By wearing these gloves she hoped to be taken seriously and viewed as their equal. -
The 1967 Referendum was held to change the Australian constitution that gave Aboriginals basic rights.
Encased in the glass box is the ballot box used in the 1967 Referendum. After 10 years of campaigning, 90% voted to change the referendum which was a great change for the Aboriginals as it showed many people were aware of the inequality in Australia and wanted it to change. The referendum enabled the Federal Government to legislate for Aboriginal people and include them in the census, granting them the right to full citizenship. -
Albert Namitjira was Born
Albert Namitjira was a well known Aboriginal artist. His artwork was said to be the foundation of Indigenous artwork and connected the two cultures of Australia together. He was an Aboriginal that held the same rights and powers as white people possessed -
Citizenship book was written by a white Australian, Sally Morgan
The book displayed what Aboriginals wanted. It suggested that Aboriginals wanted to be classified just like all other Australians. -
Marcia Langton became a member of the Order of Australia.
Her work in anthropology and the advocacy of Aboriginal rights were recognised. -
Marcia Langton was appointed Foundation Professor of Australian Indigenous Studies at Melbourne University.
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Marcia Langton became a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science in Australia.
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Faith Bandler was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia for her services to Social Justice and Human Rights.
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Messages, themes and people involved in the objects relating to Indigenous Rights Over Time
