Fred Maynard: Aboriginal Patriot
In 1927, one of main founders of the Aboriginal Progressive Society, Fred Maynard, delivered a defiant and powerful message to the NSW government and the then Aboriginies Protection/Welfare Board.
It was a response to the state government's dismissal of the society’s appeal, through petition, fighting for Aboriginal basic rights relating to their land, children, families and governance.
“We accept no condition of inferiority as compared to the European people. Quite the contrary is the case. We called no man master and we had no king,” he wrote.
His message is still as strong as it was ninety years ago and the documentary, Fight of Liberty and Freedom: The Original Australian Aboriginal Activism produced by Jumbunna, the Indigenous House of Learning at Sydney’s University of Technology, has captured this little-known history.
Written and directed by Larissa Behrendt, presented by Professor John Maynard, this documentary captures the determination, inspiration and resilience of a force to be reckoned with.
One that paved the way for Aboriginal rights today.
Contact
- Dr Jacqueline Wright
- Phone: 02 4921 7408
- Email: jacqui.wright@newcastle.edu.au
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.