Eddie+Mabo+3

Eddie Mabo 3 by Bailey

I have chosen Eddie Mabo because he fought for what he believed in and never gave in. Mabo is famous for his major role in the overturn of the legal state of terra nullius in Australia which means land belonging to no one. Therefore he gave the Aborigines their land back. He was born on Murray Island as Eddie Koiki Sambo though he changed his last name when he was adopted by his uncle Benny Mabo after his mother died shortly after childbirth. Mabo was educated about his culture in his youth until he was exiled by his Island Council as the result of a teenage prank. After his exile Mabo went to work on pearling boat as a temporary job, so when his exile was extended he moved to Townsville and got a job working on railways. This was a major step on his path to activism as while working this job he became a spokesperson for Torres-Strait Island railroad workers often voicing their opinions and thoughts to trade union officials. Mabo started making a real difference for the people of Townsville when he opened the first indigenous school. Then in 1959 he married Bonita Neehow with whom he would eventually raise ten children. For the next decade of his life Mabo worked many different jobs to make ends meet. At age 31 he became a gardener at James Cook University where he would sit in on lectures, go to the library to read books, and talk to the professors about different things. It was in one of these discussions with a professor that he talked about his life back on Murray Island and how he would inherit his land from his uncle. It was that lecturer who was tasked with the uncomfortable position of informing Eddie Mabo that the land belonged to the crown not to his uncle. Eddie protested against this saying it was wrong as they were here first. Then in 1981 a lands rights conference was held at James Cook University and Mabo gave a speech defining land ownership and inheritance on Murray Island. One of the people attending the conference happened to be a lawyer who suggested a test case to claim land rights through the court. This led the Murray Islanders to decide that they would challenge Terra Nullius in the High Court with Mabo at their head. After investigating the argument Justice Moynihan decided that Eddie Koiki Mabo was not the son of Benny Mabo and therefore had no right to the land. Although devastated by this decision Eddie Mabo continued to fight and appealed to the High Court of Australia. Sadly Eddie Mabo never saw the results of his fight dying of cancer in January 1992, 10 years after his appeal to the High Court of Australia. Just 5 months after his death on the 3rd of June 1992 the High Court announced its decision to scrap Terra Nullius. It was the milestone court case, which lead to the Native Title Act being developed in 1993 and fairer land rights for our indigenous community.

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