Coco Wharton [ Kooma Murri] - Cunnamulla, Western Qld
Pays respects to Jagera and Torrubul people
Was 19 in 1982 at the Commonwealth Games protests.
Grew up on a dirt floor and lived on the bank of a river 1963-1967. Missions were handed back to aboriginal managers – 10 years of land rights.
NAC – National Aboriginal Council
ATSIC –
Last 20 years have been hardest.
Social justice changes – 1st nations people. One minutes silence for lot of people lost – Isabel Coe
These are the heroes – sports people are role models – should remember our own in the same way as Malcolm X, martin Luther King, the lady who stopped in the bus in Mississippi.
This river here (points to Brisbane River) they flogged you and chuck you in the river – I used to drink all along here – when I was 14 – we talk about Ross Watson, Pemulwuy, Dundali – just as important as Sitting Bull martin Luther King – but we are fools – what group of people would send their kids to the enemy to get educated?
Can’t expect them to come back as heroes – don’t expect them to come back as Robbie Thorpe or look at the painting around there – that was me being arrested when I was 19 – a lot of things have happened in aboriginal politics – a lot has changed – grew up on a dort floor and on the side of the river we weren’t allowed in the towns – till 1967, for the first five years of my life, I was part of the flora and fauna – was not illegal to shoot us - all these missions were set up as prison of war camps – seen a lot happen 1982 – all the prison of war camps Cherbourg, Warabinda, Yarrabah, Mornington island , Doomadgee – that’s where the worst of the worst blackfellas were sent – those who didn’t want to be Jacky Jacky’s – all handed back to aboriginal management – 1982 – couple of years later 2% of land tax was given to blackfellas.
Seen NAC, ATSC come and go now Congress – the last 20 years has been the hardest – the hardest questions for first nations people – these were social justice changes people could relate to what happened in the deep south of America. Last 20 yrs for the rest of Australians to relate to what is going on in black Australia – easy before that – are these people are human – a real hard question to answer. Reminds you of what was happening in 1938 in Germany – or in United Sates.
Come to ownership – need constitutional change – spend $200M – shove your constitutional change up yr arse – we don’t need Mick Dodson or Pat Dodson Marcia Langton to tell us that we used t own the country – don’t be forced to argue in public – they say u can’t criticise blackfellas – that’s bullshit.
Sovereignty – two groups with different opinions of what is sovereignty – the dominant society believe that all the infrastructure that gives dominions ocer country – all these people will argue Michael Mansell, Mark McMurtrie they will argue and that’s good – we have a cold war situation – not shooting or spearing each other – that will always go on – this govt is hell bent on not answering that question – until someone gets a case up we have to be the agitator – keep that fight going. We have to counter it in the streets, in the class rooms, in a bus, in the embassies, defend sovereignty – as a responsibility as a warrior to defend our sovereignty. On every occasion no one can in the world can judge you as anything but being a warrior – we need more warriors – men and women.
If I had spoken that word warrior 30 years ago I’d still be in jail – if we talk – if we got caught in Brisbane after the games we had to have psychiatric assessment.
Today we need the warriors – we have been purposely bastardised – language we are allowed to use is more direct – after 1982 – 10 were named – we left qld for a few years – know the rules, know how to behave – involvement of non-1st nations people about their responsibilities – purposely bastardise by the MPs etc that these people are happy with what is going – you are calling this place home – therefore us as 1st nations you know the rules and know how to behave – coming into a country that is being controlled by force. Sovereignty is under question- when we talk tio the new arrivals – try to explain better than dodging bullets – they call that - we lived through all that – need to approach these questions in a civilised way. My daughter burns that flag – people come up to me and say we fought over that flag – we they didn’t it was a different flag – they had a competition in 1948 (?) and changed the flag.
Now we have Congress elected by 4000 individuals at a cost of $28M to create a voice – members sign up as individuals – democracy – fraud and invasion – less than 1% to represent 500,000 blackfellas. Examples – set up embassies ceremonies – practice our religion - law & land
[What is a nation? – Terra Nullius law is a fiction to uphold existing power – worship of money & profit]
Mabo – how do you occupy this country? – Keating created native title 20 yrs – worry about native title – fraud about native title – how do they have dominion over country – taken by force – land rights – birth right – by yr creator – self-determination – decide freely – law is given to us.
