We’re set to welcome Aunty Gail Mabo, the daughter of Eddie Koiki Mabo, as our special guest on Friday night, as we celebrate Marn Grook at the SCG.
It’s a significant time for the Mabo family as June 3 marks 30 years since the High Court’s recognition of traditional land rights, which is known as the Mabo decision.
The court’s ruling held that native title existed for all Indigenous people and that terra nullius – which means ‘nobody’s land’ – should not have been applied to Australia.
The landmark ruling followed 10 years of work by a group of Meriam People from the Eastern Torres Strait, led by Eddie Mabo.
The group lodged a legal case in May 1982 to claim legal ownership of Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait. Over the course of the next decade, they presented evidence that eight clans of Mer had occupied territories on the island for tens of thousands of years and that these clans had continuing customs.
On June 3, 1992, the High Court ruled that the Meriam People held traditional ownership of the lands of Mer. The decision led to the passing of the Native Title Act, which is legal recognition of land rights of First Nations People through their traditional laws and customs which predated British settlement.
Sadly, Eddie Mabo passed away several months before the High Court’s decision was handed down. His legacy lives on and is celebrated each year Mabo Day on June 3, which is part of National Reconciliation Week.
Following his death Eddie Mabo was posthumously awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal, while in 2015, Sydney Observatory named a star in the Southern Cross constellation in his honour.
