About 120 people marched in Melbourne on January 20 to commemorate the lives of two Aboriginal freedom fighters.
On January 20, 1842, Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner were led to the scaffold and killed before 5000 people in the first public judicial execution in Melbourne. Their bodies were taken to the Aboriginal cemetery that lies under the Victoria market.
In 1841, Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner carried out an anti-settlement campaign in their radical fight for freedom. Brought to Melbourne by the appointed Protector of Aborigines, George Augustus Robinson, the native Tasmanians took up arms in an effort to drive settlers from the bush.
They raided numerous stations and farmhouses from Dandenong to Cape Paterson, stealing and sabotaging firearms so as to prevent gunfights and further deaths.
Indigenous activists Sharon Firebrace and Robbie Thorpe addressed the crowd, as did West Papuan independence campaigner Herman Wainggai.
Joe Toscano, convenor of the Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner Commemoration Committee, said the committee is campaigning for the City of Melbourne to establish a significant public monument in memory of Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner.
[The commemoration was broadcast live on 3CR. To listen, visit 3CR. ]
Comments
Anonymous replied on Permalink