It has been an 80-year struggle, but a petition from a Victorian Aboriginal family has finally arrived at the doorstep of Buckingham Palace. In 1934, Yorta Yorta man William Cooper wrote a petition rallying King George V for a representative for indigenous people in Federal Parliament to help address injustices. But it never reached the king. Then prime minister Joseph Lyons failed to pass it on. However, after a decades-long struggle, a replica of the petition now sits with the original addressees granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. The campaign to deliver the petition has been kept alive by Mr Coopers grandson, Uncle Boydie Turner, 85, who lives in Mooroopna on the banks of the Goulburn River. Its spirit echoes the fresh calls to set aside Senate seats for indigenous Australians that emerged during Prime Minister Tony Abbotts recent trip to Arnhem Land. Mr Abbott called the idea premature. It is unlikely the Queen will formally respond. But Uncle Boydie - who was inducted onto the Victorian Indigenous Honour Roll last week - says the symbolism of the event is enough for him. This is something I know my grandfather wanted to finish, but couldnt. I am very pleased we could do that, he told Fairfax Media. I remember him [William Cooper] sitting up in bed - even when he was sick - writing letters to different people by candlelight ... prime ministers, politicians and the like, trying to get something done about how our people were treated. He was a very gentle man, one of those grandfathers that every child should have. Uncle Boydies mission has been riddled with roadblocks. He tried to deliver the document to Prince William during his visit to Australia in April. He was allowed to show the document to the monarch, but not formally hand it over.Efforts to raise money to fly to Buckingham Palace to deliver the petition himself were unsuccessful. But a few months ago, he was given permission to present a copy to Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove. Last month, at a ceremony in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Sir Peter finally relayed the document to the Queen. The petition states Aboriginal Australians had been robbed of their land and legal status by the Australian government. With the backing of more than 1800 signatures, it warned of the extinction of the Aboriginal race if the injustice was not addressed. It further read: Grant us power to propose a member of parliament in the person of our own blood, or white man known to have studied our needs and to be in sympathy with our race to represent us in the Federal Parliament. (from the article) - [Cat]
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 22:35:58 +0000
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