Eddie Koiki Mabo Timeline

Wadda Mooli

Wadda Mooli means welcome, greetings and goodbye in the Birri-Gubba language.

At James Cook University, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this land are the Bindal people (who are part of the Birrigubba nation). They have been living on this land, where the Douglas, Townsville campus is situated, for thousands of generations.

The boundaries of Bindal land are the Ross River in the north, the Burdekin River in the south, the ocean to the east and where the Hervey and Leichhardt Ranges meet in the west.

We pay respect to their culture, and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge and pay respect to their direct neighbours to the north, the Gurambilbarra Wulgurukaba People.

The First Peoples of Australia settled this country at least 65 000 years ago. Their unique cultural and spiritual relationships to land and sea have remained to this day, despite many fracturing events.

As the last Ice Age ended, sea levels rose to cover the continental shelf and create the modern-day coastline. Australia’s First Peoples continued to live on and use the coast in the changing landscape, crossing the water to islands that had been part of the mainland. Throughout this time, hundreds of nations had emerged across Australia, and at the time of colonisation around 250 distinct languages were spoken. 

James Cook University acknowledges that the impact of colonisation, government policies, racial discrimination and prejudice, have had a major effect on the lives of Australia’s First Peoples. We are committed to working together to achieve genuine and sustainable reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider community.

Photographs related to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned photographs on this website may contain images of deceased persons which may cause sadness or distress.

Architecture shapes people and places, and the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library has helped shape James Cook University (JCU). Designed by architect James Birrell, the Library is an outstanding example of 1960s Brutalist architecture.

The University campus acts as a natural amphitheatre and situated at its core the Library makes a powerful architectural statement. Moreover, the Library enriches the student experience at JCU, and is a vibrant and innovative environment for student scholarship.

Along with its own important history, the Library has a special connection to the story of Eddie Koiki Mabo. The iconic status of the building was cemented in Australia’s history in 2008, when it was officially named the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library by Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Sandra Harding AO and former Chancellor, Lt Gen Dr John Grey AC.