Table of Contents
When did Eddie Mabo move to Townsville?
1959
In 1959 he moved to Townsville in Queensland and held a variety of jobs including working on pearling boats, cutting cane and as a railway fettler.
How did Eddie Mabo live?
On 21 January 1992, Eddie Mabo died of cancer at the age of 55. Five months later, on 3 June 1992, the High Court announced its historic decision to overturn the legal doctrine of terra nullius, which defined land which was supposedly “uninhabited” as liable for government seizure.
Where is Eddie Mabo from?
Murray Island, Australia
Eddie Mabo/Place of birth
When did Eddie Mabo move to Queensland?
Edward Koiki Mabo was born on 29 June 1936. He was a Meriam man and grew up on Mer, part of the Murray Island Group in the Torres Strait. In 1959, he moved to mainland Queensland, working on pearling vessels and as a labourer.
Why did Eddie Mabo open a school?
Together with his wife Bonita he started the Black Community School in 1973, spurred on by his desire for his children to learn traditional language and cultural practices, enabling the continuation of their cultural identity.
What were Eddie Mabos beliefs?
He believed the land he grew up on, Murray Island, belonged to the Torres Strait Islander people who had lived there for thousands of years. But, Australian law stated that the Government owned the land. Eddie believed that these laws on land ownership were wrong and decided to fight to change them.
How old was Eddie Mabo when he died?
Diagnosed with cancer in 1990, Mabo did not live to hear the High Court’s ruling in Mabo No. 2. Survived by his wife, two sons, five daughters, and three adopted children (two sons and a daughter), he died on 21 January 1992 in the Royal Brisbane Hospital and was buried in Belgian Gardens cemetery, Townsville.
Where was Eddie Koiki Mabo born and raised?
Eddie Koiki Sambo was born June 29, 1936 on Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea. He was the son of Robert Zezou Sambo and Annie Mabo. His mother died in childbirth after which he was adopted by his mother’s brother, as was the custom.
What kind of Education did Eddie Mabo have?
During the preceding decade Mabo had pursued various lines of education and employment. From 1981 to 1984 he was enrolled in an Aboriginal and Islander Teacher Education Program at the Townsville College of Advanced Education (later, following amalgamation, James Cook University), but he did not finish the course.
Why was Eddie Mabo exiled from Murray Islands?
On 2 February 1956 the Murray Islands Court found Mabo guilty of drinking alcohol and exiled him for one year in accordance with community by-laws. He worked aboard fishing vessels until 1957 and then as a cane cutter and railway fettler in Queensland.