Black power hero

    Every Friday we’ll be posting a story from the huge back catalogue of Deadly Vibe magazine.

A Life In Protest

Michael Anderson is an Aboriginal activist with a long career of defending people’s rights. From 1969 he was a leader in the Australian Black Power movement and was appointed by his peers as the first Aboriginal ambassador to white Australia after he and three comrades (BERTIE WILLIAMS, Billy Craigie AND Tony Coorey) established the Aboriginal Tent […]

Eddie Mabo

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 An uncommon passion People can make a name for themselves in many ways, such as being a talented sports star, singer or famous actor. Sometimes, however, people become known for far different and less glamorous reasons, yet their names live on to attract reverence and admiration over the course […]

Faith Bandler

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 Keeping the Faith Faith Bandler’s father was one of more than 60,000 South Sea Islanders who was brought to Queensland by slave traders to work in the cane fields. There were no laws to protect them, and they were paid nothing. After 14 years, he escaped and fled to […]

Gary Foley

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 Many of us have seen those powerful black and white images of protests during the 1960s and 70s. Pictures depicting passionate, young black men and women, marching in unison, holding flags and banners aloft while raising their fists and shouting their slogans. Awe-inspiring images that take us back to […]

Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 Calling the shots Oodgeroo Noonuccal, also known as Kath Walker, was one of the founding members of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI). FCAATSI was instrumental in the success of the 1967 referendum. There’s a deadly story about Oodgeroo. During the campaign […]

Pemulwuy – The Rainbow Warrior

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 Pemulwuy – The Rainbow Warrior While the 1960s and 70s marked the peak of Indigenous protest and activism in Australia, Indigenous people have been fighting for their rights long before the freedom rides or tent embassies of the modern era. And although our leaders of the mid-20th century might […]

Vincent Lingiari

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 Vincent’s victory “We want to live on our land, our way” – Vincent Lingiari, 1966. Vincent Lingiari was a soft-spoken man, who possessed an unwavering will and passion for his people’s rights to their land. He inspired an incredible landmark victory, in a time when Indigenous Australians faced terrible […]

The 1967 Referendum

Remembering the Referendum As a teenager, Esmai Manahan joined her father, mother and brothers in the fight to have Indigenous people recognised as citizens in their own country. Forty years on, Esmai reflects on one of the most remarkable and inspiring times in Indigenous political history. When Esmai Manahan looks back on her memories of […]

Timeline to Justice

Timeline to Justice There were many important events, both in Australia and internationally, that contributed to the ultimate success of the 1967 Referendum. 1850s to 1901 ” The Right to Vote Aboriginal people were classed as British subjects, and Aboriginal men were legally entitled to vote in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. […]

Esmai Manahan

Remembering the Referendum As a teenager, Esmai Manahan joined her father, mother and brothers in the fight to have Indigenous people recognised as citizens in their own country. Forty years on, Esmai reflects on one of the most remarkable and inspiring times in Indigenous political history. When Esmai Manahan looks back on her memories of […]

Barbara McCarthy

Deadly Vibe Issue 89 July 2004 Stand up and be counted Living in the public eye isn’t easy. Being black and living in the public eye is even tougher. In an industry where there are so few Indigenous faces, Barbara McCarthy is a shining light for aspiring Indigenous journalists everywhere. Barbara joined the ABC in […]

Marion Scrymgour

Deadly Vibe Issue 89, July 2004 Marion makes a difference Marion Scrymgour made political history as the first Indigenous woman to be appointed as a government minister in Australia. In December last year, Marion was sworn in as the Minister for Family and Community Services, Environment and Heritage, as well as the Minister Assisting the […]

Aboriginal Tent Embassy

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 Thirty-two years on, the Aboriginal tent embassy still has special significance. On the afternoon of January 26, 1972, a tent appeared on the lawns in front of what is now Old Parliament House. This was the beginning of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the oldest active protest site in Australia. […]

Charles Perkins

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 Hitching a ride to freedom During the 1950s and ’60s in the United States, something big was going on – black people were standing up for their rights. After years of segregation, protest and resistance by African-Americans, justice was finally done. The American Civil Rights Act was passed in […]

Day of Mourning

Deadly Vibe Issue 90 August 2004 Sowing the seeds of sorrow January 26 has never been seen as a day of celebration by Aboriginal Australia. But for 150 years following the invasion of Australia by white colonialists, the Indigenous community’s feelings of grief and anger remained unheard. However, by the 1930s, Aboriginal people were becoming […]