Australia’s Veiled Hero’s
Indigenous Australians all Australians should know
From Bennelong to Tania Major, the following indigenous people have played not only vital
roles in Indigenous history but are role models for all Australians.
Compiled by Alice Rose and Maddy Cassidy
Bennelong
Kidnapped at the request of Captain Author Phillip with orders from
King George III to ‘endeavour, by every possible mean, to open an
intercourse with the natives, and to conciliate their affections,
enjoining all our subjects to live in amity and kindness with them'. It
was hoped that they would be able to converse and learn from each
other to lead a peaceful and prosperous society. Bennelong was one
of the first Aborigines to learn English and was able to bridge many
gaps between his people and the Europeans. In December 1972, both
Phillip and Bennelong returned to England where Bennelong
embraced English life where he exhibited the skills of determination,
diplomacy and resolve that was able to create a vital link.
Eddie Mabo
Growing up in the Torres Strait, Eddie’s life was
heavily regulated by the Queensland
government yet the old customs and
connections to the land were still practiced. At
seventeen he was exiled from his tribe and
sought work in Townsville where he eventually
became a gardener at James Cook University.
During the time he spent here he would
frequent the library and lectures to read and
learn the history that had been written about
his people. During a discussion with a lecturer
he was to learn that his people did not in fact
own the land but instead the crown. After ten
years of legal proceedings Eddie died at the age
of 56 but five months later the historic decision
overruling the premise of terra nullius.