MS 8822
Papers of Edward Koiki Mabo (1936-1992)



PLEASE NOTE:

Material has been added to this collection since this online finding aid was created. Please contact the Manuscripts Branch for a copy of the revised finding aid. In terms of access, the collection is available for reference with the exception of one folder that has been added to Series 2 (Folder 7), which is closed.


Scope and Content Note

In March 1995 the National Library of Australia purchased the papers of Edward Koiki Mabo from his widow, Bonita Mabo. Before the papers were transferred to the Library they had been stored at the Mabo family home in Townsville.

Edward Koiki Mabo was born in 1936 on the island of Mer, one of the Murray Islands, which are located at the eastern extremity of Torres Strait. In June 1992, six months after his death, Mabo achieved national prominence as the successful principal plaintiff in the landmark High Court ruling on native land title. The High Court ruling, for the first time, gave legal recognition to the fact that indigenous land ownership existed in Australia before European settlement and that, in some cases, this land tenure was not subsequently extinguished by the Crown.

Lawyers, plaintiffs and Murray Islanders gathered for the land claim case, Mer, 1989
Lawyers, plaintiffs and Murray Islanders gathered for the land claim case, Mer, 1989
L-R: Jack Wailu, Greg McIntyre, Father Dave Passi, Eddie Mabo, Brian Keon Cohen, Bai Day, Dam Passi

Before the land rights case, which lasted over ten years, Mabo had accumulated over 20 years of experience as an indigenous community leader and human rights activist. Throughout this period, he and his wife, Bonita, reared nine children while often experiencing lengthy periods of unemployment. The Mabo Papers document many of his activities, including his involvement in a number of family-based business and employment-creation ventures; his establishment of the Black Community School in Townsville, the first institution of its kind in Australia; his interest and involvement in indigenous arts; his involvement in a number of indigenous health, housing and education related boards, associations and committees; and his support for Torres Strait Islander independence and self-determination. The Papers include material on the land claim case, a number of personal documents, job applications, and some song lyrics. In the later years of his life, Mabo kept diaries; some of these (1976, 1985-92) are preserved in the Mabo Papers.

When the Library took delivery of the Mabo Papers, they consisted of a mixture of labelled files and loose papers. Files created and identified by Mabo have been retained and located in their appropriate series. In some cases, where papers were clearly misfiled, file contents were rearranged by Library staff in consultation with the Mabo family. Loose papers have been arranged into series in thematic and chronological order by Library staff. Readers can identify files created by Mabo as these have been kept in their original folders and stored in the Library's numbered acid-free folders.

Included in the Mabo Papers were a number of audiotapes of oral history interviews conducted with Mabo by Professor Noel Loos of James Cook University. These tapes have been added to the Library's Oral History collection.


Biographical Note

29 June 1936 - Born on Mer, the son of Robert Zezou [1] Sambo and Annie Mabo of the Piadaram clan. Because his mother died in childbirth, he was adopted under customary law by his uncle Benny Mabo and aunt Maiga.
1953-57 - Worked on various trochus fishing luggers out of Mer.
1957 - Left Mer and moved to the mainland. Subsequently worked at various jobs including canecutter and railway labourer.
1959 - Married Bonita Nehow (born 1943).
1960-61 - Union representative, Townsville-Mount Isa rail construction project.
1962-67 - Worked for the Townsville Harbour Board.
1962-69 - Secretary, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement League.
1967 - Helped organise seminar in Townsville: 'We the Australians: What is to Follow the Referendum?'
1967-71 - Worked as gardener-groundsman, James Cook University.
1970 - Resigned from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement League because of the involvement of people he considered to be insincere 'do-gooders'. Became President of the all-black Council for the Rights of Indigenous People, which established a legal aid service, a medical service, and the Black Community School.
1973 - Mabo and family travelled to Thursday Island en route to Mer with the intention of visiting Mabo's dying father, but were denied entry to Mer.
1973-83 - Director, Black Community School, Townsville.
1974-78 - Member of the Aboriginal Arts Council.
1975-80 - President, Yumba Meta Housing Association.
1975-78 - Member, National Aboriginal Education Committee.
1978-81 - Assistant Vocational Officer, Aboriginal Employment and Training Branch Commonwealth Employment Service.
1978-79 - Member, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Education Advisory Committee.
1981-84 - Pursued Diploma of Teaching, Townsville College of Advanced Education/James Cook University.
1981 - Conference on land rights at James Cook University. Decision made to take the Murray Islanders' land case to the High Court.
1982 - Land rights case launched. Plaintiffs were Mabo, Sam Passi, Father Dave Passi, James Rice and Celuia Mapo Salee.
1985 - Field Officer, QED Townsville Aboriginal Legal Aid Service. Received a research grant from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies to study land tenure in Torres Strait. In an attempt to retrospectively abolish native land title in Torres Strait, the Queensland Government passed the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act 1985.
1986-87 - Director, ABIS Community Cooperative Society Ltd, Townsville.
1986-87 - Assistant Director, Aboriginal Arts, Melbourne Moomba Festival.
1987-88 - Employed by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs as Community Arts Liaison Officer, 5th Festival of Pacific Arts, Townsville.
1987-88 - Vice-Chairman, Magani Malu Kes.
1988 - High Court ruled the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act 1985 contrary to the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act 1975.
21 Jan. 1992 - Edward Koiki Mabo died in Brisbane.
3 June 1992 - High Court delivered a 6:1 verdict in favour of Mabo, Mabo v State of Queensland (No. 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1, overturning the 205-year-old legal doctrine of terra nullius.
26 Jan. 1993 - The Australian announced Eddie Mabo its 1992 Australian of the Year.

Eddie Mabo, Director of the Black Community School, Townsville, 1973-84
Eddie Mabo was Director of the Black Community School, Townsville, 1973-84

Series List

  1. Diaries, 1976, 1985-92
  2. Employment and personal, 1943, 1959-92
  3. Business ventures, 1968-91
  4. Black Community School, Townsville, 1973-84
  5. Yumba Meta Housing Association, 1973-82
  6. National Aboriginal Education Committee, 1980-87
  7. Diploma of Teaching course, Townsville College of Advanced Education/James Cook University, 1981-84
  8. Land claim, 1982-92
  9. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, 1978-89
  10. ABIS Community Cooperative Society Ltd, 1985-87
  11. Murray Island Community Council, 1985-91
  12. Moomba Festival, 1986-87
  13. 5th Festival of Pacific Arts, Townsville, 1986-88
  14. Magani Malu Kes/Torres Strait independence movement, 1991
  15. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, 1989-90
  16. Other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander related activities, 1981-91
  17. Printed material, 1978-89

Series Descriptions

1. DIARIES, 1976, 1985, 1987-89, 1991-92

Volumes

1-2     Two Woods commercial desk diaries for 1976:                      
        Contain occasional entries recording appointments, activities,   
        addresses and telephone numbers.                                 

3       Collins A4 one-day-to-a-page diary, 1985:                        
        Contains entries in two languages, English and Meriam Mer.       
        Records details of work for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait     
        Islander Corporation for Legal Aid Services and other            
        activities.                                                      

4       Collins three-day-to-a-page diary, 1987:                         
        Contains brief entries recording appointments and daily          
        activities, including work for the Moomba Festival and the 5th   
        Festival of Pacific Arts, and visits to Canberra for High Court  
        sittings.                                                        

5       A4 one-day-to-a-page diary, 1988:                                
        Contains a number of detailed entries, particularly during the   
        period January-March. Describes meetings with the Premier of     
        Queensland and the Commonwealth Minister for Aboriginal Affairs  
        (Gerry Hand), visits to Torres Strait and attendance at High     
        Court sittings.                                                  

6       Universal A5 one-page-to-a-day diary, 1989:                      
        Contains entries describing events, activities, domestic life,   
        visits to Torres Strait and progress on the court case.          

7       Upward A4 one-week-to-two-pages diary, 1991:                     
        Contains entries describing activities, domestic life, travel,   
        health, and progress on the court case.                          

8       Collins one-day-to-a-page diary, 1992:                           
        Contains six filled pages, dated early January. Written while    
        Mabo was in Townsville and Brisbane Hospitals with his final     
        illness. Reflects on life, love for his wife and family, family  
        inheritances and rights, and wonders whether the High Court      
        decision will be announced in time for him to hear it.           

2. EMPLOYMENT AND PERSONAL, 1943, 1959-60, 1973-74, 1980-92

Folders

1          Miscellaneous personal documents, including copies of birth   
           certificate, 1943, and marriage certificate, 1959;            
           photocopies of letters from Mabo's adoptive mother to Bonita  
           Mabo, 1960; correspondence and telegrams relating to the      
           denial of permission for Mabo to visit Mer, 1973-74;          
           handwritten lyrics by Mabo in Meriam Mer and English, 1982;   
           documents regarding the Mabo family property in Townsville;   
           four pencil sketches by Mabo of scenes in the Murray          
           Islands, 1980 and 1986 [two of the sketches are large format  
           and are located in folio]; and clippings and tributes         
           written following Mabo's death in 1992.                       

2          Papers relating to various educational courses pursued by     
           Mabo, including the Aboriginal Task Force Program, South      
           Australian Institute of Technology, 1983-84; and a coastal    
           navigation course at Townsville College of TAFE, 1991.        

3-5        Miscellaneous papers relating to Mabo's employment,           
           including job applications, personal résumés, references and  
           correspondence, 1980-91.                                      

6          Correspondence and other papers relating to Mabo's 1986       
           claims to the Defence Department for pay adjustments owed to  
           his late fathers, Benny Mabo and Zezon Sambo, both of whom    
           served with the Australian Army in World War II.              
Binita and Eddie Mabo, Brisbane, c. 1990
Bonita and Eddie Mabo, Brisbane, c. 1990

3. BUSINESS VENTURES, 1968-91

Throughout the last 25 years of his life, Mabo often found it difficult to hold a steady job. Because of this, and because of a desire to be his own master, he became involved in a succession of family-based business and employment-creation ventures. While none of these was particularly successful, the last, Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd, operated for some four years. The files in this Series were created by Mabo.

Folders

1          Documents relating to Meriam Cooperative Trading Society,     
           1968-82, a bêche-de-mer fishing venture incorporated in       
           1972. Documents include certificate of incorporation,         
           correspondence, bank statements, rules and membership forms.  

2          Documents relating to the United Torres Strait Islanders      
           Co-operative Trading Society, 1976, including membership      
           lists and forms, and a financial statement.                   

3          Papers relating to proposed fishing ventures, 1985-86.        

4          Papers relating to the Meriam Trading Company, 1986-89, a     
           fishing venture incorporated in 1982. Papers include          
           correspondence with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and  
           the firm's solicitors, brochures, papers relating to boats    
           and refrigeration equipment, and documents relating to the    
           firm's change of name to Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd,          
           1988-89.                                                      

5          Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (one file):                        
           Statutory documents, 1982-88                                  

6          Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (two files):                       
           Papers related to barges, boats and freezers, 1986-89         
           Funding application, Aboriginal Employment Development        
           Policy, 1987                                                  

7          Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (two files):                       
           Papers relating to funding application, Queensland            
           Self-Employment Venture Scheme, 1987                          
           Promotional material, budget and cash flow estimates, 1987    

8          Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (two files):                       
           Funding submissions and budgets, 1987                         
           Papers relating to employees and equipment, 1986-88           

9          Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (two files):                       
           Membership register, 1988                                     
           Market outlets for cray takes, 1988                           

10         Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (one file):                        
           Papers relating to the thatched village project, and food     
           catering for the 5th Festival of Pacific Arts, 1988           

11         Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (one file):                        
           Miscellaneous loose papers, 1988-91, including                
           correspondence, budgets, funding and loan applications, and   
           projects                                                      

12         Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (one file):                        
           Correspondence and other papers relating to boats and         
           equipment, catch estimates and project proposals, 1988-89     

13         Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (one file):                        
           Funding submission to Aboriginal Development Commission for   
           trochus shell and crayfishing projects, 1989                  

14         Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (two files):                       
           Papers relating to proposed Building and Construction Unit,   
           1987                                                          
           Loan application for freezing plant on Mer, draft budgets     
           and cash flow predictions, c.1988                             

15         Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd (two files):                       
           Draft funding submissions and cash flow predictions, 1989     
           Application for trochus fishing licence, 1986, and papers     
           relating to other marine projects                             

N.B. See also Series 13 Folder 10 for papers relating to the involvement of Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd in the 5th Festival of Pacific Arts, 1988.


4. BLACK COMMUNITY SCHOOL, TOWNSVILLE, 1973-84

Mabo was Director of this School, the first of its kind established in Australia, throughout the ten years of its existence. The School, which was an independent school funded by the Commonwealth, was forced to close in 1983 because the lease on its site had expired and the School was unable to secure an alternative site.

Folders

1          Constitution: six roneoed copies, undated.                    
           Carbon copy of Memorandum and Articles of Association, 1976.  

2          Correspondence with Queensland Department of Aboriginal and   
           Island Affairs and Department of Education, 1974-81.          

3          National Aboriginal Education Committee: 'Black Community     
           School Study', 26 folios, 1977.                               
           'Assessment of Achievement Levels of Children Attending the   
           Black Community School' by Margaret Reynolds, four roneoed    
           folios, 1976.                                                 

4          Applications for teaching positions, 1977-81.                 

5          Correspondence etc. relating to the acquisition of School     
           land, 1981.                                                   
           'What's Going On at the Black Community School? Information   
           for Parents and Friends' by the students and staff, 12        
           folios, illustrated, September 1981.                          

6          Draft proposal by E.K. Mabo for the establishment of the      
           Magani Institute as parent organisation for the Black         
           Community School and to act as a centre for the pursuit of    
           Torres Strait Islander Studies, typescript, 1978.             
           Correspondence etc. relating to land, funding and other       
           matters, 1978-81.                                             

7          Correspondence and other papers relating to proposal to       
           establish a Black Community School on Mer, 1981.              
           Correspondence and other papers relating to funding,          
           1981-82.                                                      

8          Correspondence and other papers relating to grants and        
           funding, 1982-83.                                             

9          Survey of opinions on Black Independent Schools, such as the  
           Black Community School, and other associated matters          
           including parent survey forms, 1982.                          

10         Aboriginal Independent Schools Workshop, convened by the      
           National Aboriginal Education Committee, Darwin, 1982 (draft  
           report edited by J.R. Budby), including paper by Mabo which   
           discusses the challenges involved in running the Black        
           Community School.                                             
           Papers relating to Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal      
           Affairs Area Advisory Committee, 1982-83.                     

11         Carbon copy of completed Queensland Schools Commission        
           survey form, 1982.                                            
           Papers relating to the Commonwealth Aboriginal Councils and   
Associations Act 1976, 1983.                                  

12         Correspondence relating to the School bus, 1983, and various  
           papers relating to the languages and music of the Torres      
           Strait.                                                       

13         Correspondence and other papers relating to funding and the   
           closure of the School because of its inability to secure a    
           site, 1982-84.                                                

14-16      Staff time sheets, 1980-82.                                   

17-18      Wages books (two volumes), 1978-82.                           

19         Records relating to employees' income tax deductions,         
           1981-83.                                                      

20         Trustees' accounts book, 1976-81.                             

21         Students' roll book, 1973-76, 1982 (one volume).              

22         Accounts, receipts and bank statements, 1979.                 

23         Miscellaneous financial records and bank statements,          
           1977-80.                                                      

24-25      Accounts paid: invoices and receipts, 1980-81.                

26         Petty cash receipts, 1981.                                    

27         Invoices and receipts, 1982-83.                               

28         Audited financial statements, 1979-83.                        

Box 9      Cheques and cheque butts, 1976-82.                            

5. YUMBA META HOUSING ASSOCIATION, 1973-82

This Association acquired houses in Townsville using Commonwealth funds and was responsible for renting them to black tenants. Mabo was President of the Association, 1975-80. During the period 1978-80, Mabo's presidency was contested by a group of disaffected members and evicted tenants who formed a new Board of Directors.

Folders

1          Articles of Association, 1973.                                
           Financial statements, year ended 30 September 1974.           
           Contracts for houses, 1974.                                   

2          Minute book for Annual General Meetings and meetings of the   
           Board of Directors, 1975-78.                                  

3          Loan register, 1976-77.                                       
           Annual Financial Report, 30 September 1976.                   
           Cash receipts worksheets, 1975-76.                            

4          Membership applications, 1975-78.                             

5          Minutes and financial statements, 1976.                       

6          Correspondence, financial statements, agendas and membership  
           forms, 1976-79.                                               

7          Receipt book, 1978-79.                                        
           Membership applications, 1979.                                

8          Directors' reports to shareholders, 1977-78.                  
           Annual General Meeting agenda, 1979.                          

9          Papers relating to dispute with tenants and associated        
           eviction orders, 1977-80, including newspaper cuttings,       
           minutes, notices, letters of termination of membership.       

10         Minute book with inserts, 1978-80.                            

11         Board of Directors, 1979-80, including circulars, and         
           correspondence with solicitors.                               
           Newspaper cuttings reporting friction between Aborigines and  
           Torres Strait Islanders within Yumba Meta, together with      
           newspaper notices relating to the dispute, 1980.              

12         Papers relating to membership litigation, including           
           correspondence with solicitors, 1978-79.                      

13         Miscellaneous correspondence, 1980-82.                        

6. NATIONAL ABORIGINAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE, 1980-87

The National Aboriginal Education Committee was set up to provide advice to the Minister of Education and the Department of Education on Aboriginal views on the educational needs of Aboriginal people, and to monitor existing policies and programs. Mabo became involved in this Committee through his work for the Black Community School, and was a Committee member between 1975 and 1978. Papers from this period do not appear to have survived. This Series documents Mabo's continued interest in the work of the Committee during the 1980s.

Folders

1          Proceedings of the Fifth National Aboriginal Education        
           Conference, 1980 (91 pp.).                                    
           Aboriginal and Islander Community Worker Training Program,    
           'Field Project Reports', Townsville College of Advanced       
           Education, 1981 (87 pp.).                                     

2          'NAEC Paper on Aboriginal Schools', roneoed, April 1982 (15   
           pp.).                                                         
           NAEC Conference report, Perth, July 1982, roneoed (6 pp.).    
           Draft discussion paper 'Man Power Planning: Preparing         
           Aboriginal Teachers in Australia for the 1980s' by Vic        
           Forrest, 1982 (13 pp.).                                       
           'Aboriginal Studies: A Response to the Commonwealth           
           Aboriginal Studies Working Group Report to the Australian     
           Education Council' by John Lester, December 1982 (41 pp.).    
           Two issues of Ngali: School of Australian Linguistics         
Newsletter, 1982-83.                                          

3          'Strategies for Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait         
           Islander Students in Queensland Schools', Queensland          
           Department of Education, 1984 (18 folios).                    
           Conference papers from the NAEC/JCU National Conference:      
           Aborigines and Islanders in Higher Education: The Need for    
           Institutional Change.                                         
Eddie Mabo at James Cook University, early 1980s
Eddie Mabo at James Cook University, early 1980s

7. DIPLOMA OF TEACHING COURSE, TOWNSVILLE COLLEGE OF ADVANCED EDUCATION/JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY, 1981-84

In 1982, Townsville College of Advanced Education amalgamated with the James Cook University of North Queensland. Mabo eventually decided not to become a teacher because he felt he was unsuited to classroom situations. Papers relating to other educational activities pursued by Mabo can be found in Series 2 Folder 2, and Series 12 Folders 2-3.

Folders

1          Administrative papers relating to enrolments, subject         
           results and grants from the Aboriginal Study Grants Scheme,   
           1981-84.                                                      
           Essay: 'Alternative Schools in Australia', 1981.              

2-9        Course notes, teaching material and essays (many of which     
           have a Torres Strait Islander focus and include grades and    
           tutors' comments), 1981-84.                                   

2          Art, 1981.                                                    
           Contemporary Australian Society, 1981.                        

3          Education, 1981-82.                                           

4          Education, 1982.                                              

5          Language Arts, 1982.                                          

6          Music, 1982.                                                  

7-8        Mathematics, 1982.                                            

9          Media, 1984.                                                  

8. LAND CLAIM, 1982-92

In 1981, at a conference on indigenous land rights in Townsville, a decision was made to pursue a native land title claim for the people of the Murray Islands in the High Court of Australia. In 1982, Mabo and four other Islander plaintiffs instituted proceedings against the State of Queensland, claiming that their islands had been continuously inhabited and exclusively possessed by their people who lived in permanent settled communities. They acknowledged that the British Crown became sovereign of the islands upon annexation, but claimed continuous enjoyment of their land rights which had not been validly extinguished by the sovereign through the granting of freehold title or land leases to others. The Queensland Government attempted to defeat the claim with the passage of the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act 1985. In 1988, the High Court ruled this Act contrary to the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act 1975. In May 1989, the High Court remitted the land claim to the Queensland Supreme Court for hearing and determination of all issues of fact. In November 1990, Justice Moynihan of the Supreme Court delivered the Court's determination of the issues of fact. The case was argued for four days before the High Court in May 1991. The final decision was handed down in favour of Mabo on 3 June 1992. This decision overturned the 204-year-old legal doctrine of terra nullius, which held that the lands of the Australian continent were 'practically unoccupied' at the time of the proclamation of British sovereignty.

Further reading

The Mabo Decision, and the Full Text of the Decision in Mabo and Others v State of Queensland. Commentary by Richard H. Bartlett. Sydney: Butterworths, 1993.

Mabo, a Judicial Revolution: The Aboriginal Land Rights Decision and Its Impact on Australian Law. Edited by M.A. Stephenson and Suri Ratnapala. St. Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1993.

Mabo Papers. Department of the Parliamentary Library, Parliamentary Research Service. Subject Series no. 1. Canberra: AGPS, 1994.

Hearings before Justice Moyniham of the Supreme Court of Queensland, Mer, 1989
Hearings before Justice Moyniham of the Supreme Court of Queensland, Mer, 1989

Folders

1          Correspondence with solicitor Greg McIntyre, 1982-89.         
           'Plaintiffs' Statement of Facts Volume 1 with Annexures', 77  
           pp., spiral bound, 1984.                                      

2          Miscellaneous papers, 1985, including newspaper cuttings;     
           receipts for Torres Strait Islander contributions to defray   
           the costs of the court case; handwritten drafts recording     
           Mabo's reactions to his dispute with Areag Dipoma over the    
           ownership of land at Sebeg, which Mabo claimed belonged to    
           his adoptive father, Benny; annotated photocopy from Coe v    
           Commonwealth (1979) 24 ALR 118 .                              

3-4        Miscellaneous papers, 1986, including maps of Mer showing     
           traditional land ownership boundaries; annotated photocopies  
           from Canadian Federal Court reports; Mabo family genealogies  
           used in legal debates over Mabo's lineage and inheritance; a  
           photocopy of an article by Anthony Wilkin, 'Land Tenure and   
           Inheritance at Mabuiag'; and document entitled 'Current       
           Report on Mabo and Others vs Queensland and Commonwealth' by  
           Koiki Mabo, March 1986.                                       

5          Miscellaneous papers, 1987-88, including correspondence with  
           Murray Island Council; transcripts of court proceedings,      
           February 1987; newspaper cuttings; applications for           
           financial assistance with legal costs; copy of Nonie Sharp's  
           'Faces of Power in the Torres Strait Islands, the 1980s and   
           the 1930s', a 30-page Australian and New Zealand Association  
           for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS) Congress paper; and   
           rough working notes.                                          

6          Miscellaneous papers, 1989, including correspondence with     
           Murray Island Council regarding the Dipoma/Sebeg land         
           dispute; issue of Torres News, 26 May 1989; newspaper         
           cuttings; Mabo's notes of the '50th Day', his summary of      
           hearings before Mr Justice Moynihan on Mer; correspondence    
           with Yarra Bank films regarding the documentary Land Bilong   
           Islanders; genealogical notes; and an application for         
           funding assistance with associated correspondence.            

7          Miscellaneous papers, 1990-92, including articles on the      
           proposed Cape York spaceport; newspaper cuttings; a circular  
           letter by Mabo's daughter Maleta West, 1992, which            
           criticises Murray Islanders for not supporting the case       
           sufficiently; and various tributes to Eddie Mabo written at   
           the time of his death.                                        

Folio      Mounted display notices in English and Meriam Mer, 1985.      
           These notices, which combine press cuttings and messages      
           written by Mabo, call on Islanders to support the land        
           rights case and oppose the actions of the Queensland          
           Government.                                                   
           Photocopies of newspaper cuttings, 1988.                      

9. AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ABORIGINAL STUDIES, 1978-89

Located in Canberra, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (later the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies) promotes and supports research into the cultures (both traditional and contemporary), languages, histories, and contemporary needs of Australia's indigenous communities. Mabo first became associated with the Institute in 1978 when, as Director of the Black Community School, he was appointed a member of its Education Advisory Committee.

Folders

1          Papers relating to Mabo's membership of the Institute's       
           Education Advisory Committee, 1978-79, including minutes,     
           agendas, grant applications, reports, discussion notes and    
           conference papers.                                            

2-3        Papers relating to Mabo's membership of the Institute's       
           Social and Cultural Anthropology Committee, 1984-86,          
           including circulars, correspondence, minutes and grant        
           applications, and evaluations.                                

3          Correspondence regarding Mabo's appointment to the            
           Institute's History Committee, 1986.                          
           Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies    
           Bill 1989: copy of Bill with Explanatory Memoranda and        
           Second Reading Speech.                                        

10. ABIS COMMUNITY COOPERATIVE SOCIETY LTD, 1985-87

The ABIS Community Cooperative Society was a Townsville-based Aboriginal and Islander cooperative housing association. Mabo was a Director of ABIS, 1986-87.

Folders

1          Miscellaneous papers, 1985-87, including agendas, minutes,    
           financial statements, Constitution and Rules [1974, amended   
           1983] and papers concerning allocation of housing.            

2          Papers relating to Mabo's dispute with other Board members    
           concerning housing allocations, and his removal from the      
           Housing Selection Committee, 1986-87, including               
           correspondence, minutes, and drafts of letters and memoranda  
           which outline Mabo's interpretation of the dispute.           

11. MURRAY ISLAND COMMUNITY COUNCIL, 1985-91

During the late 1980s, Mabo attempted to gain election to the urray Island Community Council. However, because he had not lived on Mer since the late 1950s, his residential status was questioned and it was ruled that he was not eligible to nominate. Other papers relating to Murray Island Community Council can be found in Series 2 Folder 1, and Series 8 Folders 5-6.

Folders

1          Papers relating to Mabo's attempts to gain election to        
           Murray Island Community Council and the rulings that he was   
           not eligible to nominate, 1985-91, including correspondence,  
           election notices, rough notes, and a Supreme Court of         
           Queensland affidavit by Mabo, 1991.                           

12. MOOMBA FESTIVAL, 1986-87

During 1986-87, Mabo participated in the Communication and Arts Management Scheme run by the Aboriginal Training and Cultural Institute. Through this Scheme he was appointed Assistant Director, Aboriginal Arts for the Melbourne Moomba Festival. Mabo claimed that his efforts ensured the first ever Aboriginal involvement in the Moomba Festival.

Folders

1          Correspondence and other papers relating to the Moomba        
           performances of the Dance Theatre of Fiji, 1986-87.           
           Papers relating to the Victorian Aboriginal Host Committee    
           for the Moomba Festival, 1987.                                

2-3        Papers relating to Mabo's participation in the Communication  
           and Arts Management Scheme run by the Aboriginal Training     
           and Cultural Institute, 1987. It was through this Scheme      
           that Mabo became involved in Moomba. Papers include essays,   
           assignments, exams and project notes.                         

13. 5TH FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS, TOWNSVILLE, 1986-88

The 5th Festival of Pacific Arts, which took place in Townsville in 1988, was the first to be held in Australia. The Festival of Pacific Arts occurs every four years and is organised under the auspices of the South Pacific Commission. The 1988 Festival received funding from the Australian Government through the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Environment. Mabo was employed by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs as Community Arts Liaison Officer for the Festival, 1987-88.

Folders

1          'Report on Management Structure and Planning and Budget       
           Options Prepared for the Department of Arts, Heritage and     
           the Environment, and the Interim Steering Committee for the   
           Festival' by Nicholas Clark and Associates, Management        
           Consultants, April 1986. Spiral bound, 219 folios.            

2          Miscellaneous papers, 1986-87, including address book,        
           correspondence, Advisory Committee minutes, memoranda,        
           proposed Festival program, grant application to the           
           Aboriginal Arts Board, press releases and representations     
           from Magani Malu Kes calling inter alia for the sacking of    
           the Festival Director and the appointment of Eddie Mabo in    
           his place.                                                    

3          Letter to Mabo from Barry Cohen, Minister for Arts, 27 April  
           1987, appointing Mabo to the Board of Directors for the       
           Festival.                                                     
           Board papers, April-May 1987, including assessment of the     
           Nicholas Clark report and photocopies of reports on previous  
           Festivals.                                                    

4          Board papers, May-June 1987, including agenda papers,         
           minutes and correspondence.                                   

Members of the 5th Festival of Pacific Arts Board of Directors, Townsville, 1988
Members of the 5th Festival of Pacific Arts Board of Directors, Townsville, 1988
5          Miscellaneous papers, July-October 1987, including Board minutes
           and agendas; duty statements and job advertisement for Aboriginal/Islander
           Community Arts Liaison Officer position; and photocopies of newspaper
           cuttings relating to a dispute between Charles Perkins and the
           Minister for Arts, Senator Richardson, over proposed changes to
           the membership of the Festival Board. 

6          Advisory Committee papers, 1987-88, including minutes, agendas and
           correspondence. Craft Village: conditions of contract document.

7          Financial statements by KPMG Hungerfords Accountants, 1987-88. 

8          Board papers, March-May 1988, including agenda papers, minutes, 
           memoranda, reports and correspondence. 

9          Board papers, July-August 1988, including agenda papers, and minutes.

10         Papers relating to the involvement of Meriam Enterprises Pty Ltd in
           the Festival Craft Village project, 1988, including correspondence, 
           tender documents and plans of the proposed village. 

11         Miscellaneous papers, including Mabo's sketches of his proposed Festival logo.

12         Festival program and other related publications, 1988. 
Sketch of proposed logo for the 5th Festival of Pacific Arts, 1988, drawn by Eddie Mabo (MS 8822/12/11)
Sketch of proposed logo for the 5th Festival of Pacific Arts, 1988, drawn by Eddie Mabo (MS 8822/13/11)

14. MAGANI MALU KES/TORRES STRAIT INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT, 1980, 1986-89, 1991

agani Malu Kes is the name for the Torres Strait Islands in the language of the Torres Strait. The organisation Magani Malu Kes (MMK) was an organisation for Torres Strait Islanders which Mabo had incorporated as a public company in 1987. Of major concern to Magani Malu Kes was the way in which Islander interests appeared to be marginalised by those of mainland Aborigines when indigenous issues were considered by governments. As a consequence, Magani Malu Kes advocated Torres Strait Islander independence from Australia. Mabo was Vice-Chairman of MMK, 1987-88.

Folders

1          Photocopy of letter from Mabo to George Mye of Darnley        
           Island (1 February 1980) proposing the formation of a Torres  
           Strait Independence movement headed by a 'Torres United       
           Party' and a 'Magani Institute'.                              
           Correspondence with Senator Jim Keeffe and two roneoed        
           papers by Nonie Sharp on the case for Torres Strait           
           independence, 1980.                                           
           Newspaper cuttings relating to Torres Strait independence,    
           1986.                                                         
           Draft petition to Gerry Hand regarding the manner in which    
           the Aboriginal Arts Board and the Australia Council           
           neglected the interests of Torres Strait Islanders, n.d.      
           Proposals for establishment of Mer Health Service, a Torres   
           Strait Travel Agency and a Torres Strait Islanders' Credit    
           Union, 1986.                                                  
           Miscellaneous Magani Malu Kes papers, 1987-88.                

2          Papers relating to the incorporation of Magani Malu Kes,      
           1987.                                                         
           Constitution and by-laws of Netat Urapun Buai (Torres Strait  
           Islanders Corporation), 1987-88.                              
           Pro-forma letters from MMK State Council to member            
           organisations, n.d.                                           

3          Minutes, Certificate of Incorporation and petition, 1987.     
           Copy of letter to Gerry Hand, Minister for Aboriginal         
           Affairs, October 1987.                                        

4          Miscellaneous papers, 1987-89, including minutes, agendas,    
           press cuttings, petitions, grant applications, Memorandum of  
           Association, correspondence with the Island Co-ordinating     
           Council and a document entitled 'Magani Malu Kes (Qld) State  
           Council: Background Information and Rationale'.               

5          State Council information leaflets and application forms,     
           1988.                                                         

6          Clippings, funding application and working briefs relating    
           to demands for independence, 1988.                            
           Papers relating to meetings with Queensland Premier Ahern     
           and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Gerry Hand,          
           relating to independence, 1988.                               

7          Miscellaneous papers, 1988, including correspondence (in      
           particular with the Island Co-ordinating Council), a          
           submission to the United Nations Association relating to      
           independence, papers relating to a dispute with Roland        
           Cantley, papers of the Torres Strait Independence Working     
           Party Secretariat and the Annual Report of the Island         
           Co-ordinating Council.                                        

8          Miscellaneous papers, 1987-89, including bank statements;     
           correspondence with MMK President, Steve Mam, and others;     
           clippings and notes of a meeting with Gerry Hand.             
           Notice of MMK meeting with the Torres Strait Advisory Board   
           Queensland Representative, Belsa Lowah, September 1991.       

15. ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMISSION, 1989-90

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) was established by Parliament in March 1990 as the Federal Government's principal agency for administering Aboriginal Affairs. It replaced the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, which had been in existence since 1972, and the Aboriginal Development Commission. ATSIC is run by an appointed Chairperson and a Board of Commissioners who are elected by Aboriginal people from zones around the country.

Folders

1          Papers relating to the establishment of ATSIC, 1988-90.       
           ATSIC Townsville Regional Council election tally, November    
           1990.                                                         

2          Copies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission    
           Bill 1988, 1989, and Second Reading Speech, August 1988, and  
           June 1989.                                                    
           Federal Opposition media release and minority report by       
           Senators Baume and Boswell, 1989, on the Aboriginal and       
           Torres Strait Islander Commission Bill 1988.                  

16. OTHER ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER RELATED ACTIVITIES, 1981-91

Folders

1          Letter from Billae Laba of Boroko, Papua New Guinea (12 July  
           1982), with enclosures. Discusses traditional links and       
           interactions between Papuans and Torres Strait Islanders.     
           Aboriginal and Islanders Catholic Council Conference,         
           Toowoomba, 1983. Copies of papers delivered at the            
           Conference.                                                   
           Copy of letter to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (22     
           July 1985) concerning the funding freeze imposed on           
           community worker John Echong, together with an issue of an    
           associated newsletter.                                        

2          Letter from Nonie Sharp (4 January 1985) accompanying a copy  
           of her 'Book of Islanders', a 167-page compilation of oral    
           traditions from the Torres Strait, which formed Appendix B    
           of her 'Springs of Originality Among the Torres Strait        
           Islanders', later published as Stars of Tagai (1993).         

3          Various papers relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait       
           Islander legal services in North Queensland, 1982-87,         
           including reports drafted by Mabo when he worked as a Field   
           Officer for the Townsville Aboriginal Legal Aid Service,      
           1985; papers relating to the Royal Commission into            
           Aboriginal Deaths in Custody; and a workshop training manual  
           'Criminal Law and the Police', n.d.                           

4          Miscellaneous papers, 1981-91, including correspondence       
           regarding Mabo's participation in the 1987 ANZAAS Congress    
           session, 'Conservation in Aboriginal and Islander             
           Environments'; objectives of the Townsville Aboriginal and    
           Islander Action Group, 1987; papers relating to the Kubin     
           Branch of the Torres Strait Women's Council, 1987; photocopy  
           of 'Autobiography of Mr Wees Nawia' by Nonie Sharp,           
           typescript, 1985; meeting notices for the Aboriginal and      
           Islander Tenants' Association, 1989; papers relating to the   
           Yalga-binbi Institute for Community Development, 1989; and    
           the manuscript of a speech given by Mabo to the 1st National  
           Torres Strait Islander Seminar 'Heritage and Culture: The     
           Road to Recovery', Brisbane, 1991.                            

5          Papers relating to the Aboriginal and Islander Health         
           Service, 1988-89, including correspondence, reports,          
           membership applications and Memorandum of Association.        

6          Papers relating to the Thuringowa Aboriginal and Islander     
           Community Health Centre, 1989, including rules,               
           correspondence and submission.                                

7          Papers relating to a proposal for the incorporation of a      
           Torres Strait Islanders Corporation for Cultural,             
           Educational and Welfare Advancement League, 1991.             

17. PRINTED MATERIAL, 1978-89

Folders

1          Report of the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Commission,  
           1978.                                                         
           Aboriginal and Islander Education: Perspectives and Change,   
           Proceedings of a Seminar Held at James Cook University,       
           October 1978.                                                 
           Two issues of The Palm Islander, 1979.                        
           'Torres Strait Islands, 1879-1979, Theme for an Overview' by  
           Nonie Sharp (La Trobe Working Papers in Sociology, no. 52,    
           1980).                                                        

2          National Aboriginal Conference Newsletter, June 1981.         
           Kulinma Kodowokai, newsletter published by the Aboriginal     
           Development Commission, no. 1, Aug.-Sept. 1982.               
           The Porter Report: Newsletter from James Porter, Shadow       
           Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, June 1983.                   
           Aboriginal Newsletter: Queensland, August 1983.               
           Aboriginal Law Bulletin, February 1986.                       
           ADC News, Autumn 1987.                                        
           Science and Life in the Tropics, 57th ANZAAS Congress         
           papers, 1987.                                                 

3          Aboriginal Hostels Limited, Annual Report, 1986-87.           
           Land Rights News, January 1989.                               
           Torres News, 2 September 1988.                                

4          Report of the Interdepartmental Committee on the Torres       
           Strait Islands, by Chairman D.J. O'Rourke, Department of      
           Aboriginal Affairs, August 1988.                              

5          Five issues of The Aboriginal Child at School, 1988-89.       

6          James Cook University of North Queensland, Student Handbook,  
           1989.                                                         

Box List

Box Series Folders 
1   1      1-7                                                 
2   1      8                                                   
    2      1-6                                                 
3   3      1-9                                                 
4   3      10-15                                               
5   4      1-8                                                 
6   4      9-16                                                
7   4      17-21                                               
8   4      22-28                                               
9   4      Cheque butts                                        
10  5      1-8                                                 
11  5      9-13                                                
    6      1-3                                                 
12  7      1-9                                                 
13  8      1-7                                                 
14  9-12   
15  13     1-7                                                 
16  13     8-12                                                
17  14     1-8                                                 
13  15     1-2                                                 
    16     1-7                                                 
19  17     1-6                                                 

Footnotes:

[1] Documents in Series 2 Folder 6 which refer to Mabo's natural father give various spellings of his given name, including Zezou, Zazou, Zeson and Sasak. When Eddie Mabo referred to his father in writing, he used Zezou.

Guide compiled by Adrian Cunningham 1995.