Emeritus Professor John Maynard, Indigenous Education and Research (Indigenous History), Newcastle University, pays tribute to Eddie Koiki Mabo by highlighting forgotten heroes and heroines of Australian Indigenous history. Focusing on the lives and times of three courageous historical figures, sports star Dave Sands, political activist Jane Duren, and war hero Douglas Grant, this lecture will reveal the importance of uncovering and understanding the richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history.
JCU's Adjunct Professor Gracelyn Smallwood shares memories of Uncle Koiki Mabo during her Welcome to Country.
Emeritus Professor John Maynard has established himself as the foremost Indigenous historian in Australia. His books Fight for Liberty and Freedom (shortlisted for the Victorian Premiers History Award), The Aboriginal Soccer Tribe (a highly commended finalist for the prestigious Walkley Award) and Aboriginal Stars of the Turf (Dymocks Readers Choice) have received high acclaim. His research has concentrated on the intersections of Australian Aboriginal political and social history and made significant contributions to the research fields of Australian Aboriginal, race relations and sports history both nationally and internationally. His work examining the rise of organised Australian Aboriginal political activism during the 1920s has been recognised as groundbreaking including the revelation that African American influence and inspiration (particularly, Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association) played a part in the rise of the early Australian Aboriginal political movement. This work has challenged the previous misconception that it was largely non-Indigenous Christian and humanitarian influence that drove Australian Aboriginal political mobilisation.
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