Is considered to be one of several nationally important urban sites for Indigenous people. The building is located at 150 Elizabeth Street within the heart of Sydney and has become an important part of the history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Australia Hall is the site where, in 1938, Bill Ferguson, Jack Patten, Pearl Gibbs, William Cooper and Margaret Tucker, organised "A Day of Mourning and Protest". It was decided to hold the protest on January 26, Australia Day.
The protest was planned to mark the 150th anniversary of the British arrival in Australia and the changes this event brought to Indigenous Australians. January 26 has become a significant day for Indigenous Australians, as it marks the day when they demanded be considered as full Australian citizens, including the right to vote, live and work like all other Australians.
The 1938, "Day of Mourning and Protest" came after 10 long years of attempts by Indigenous people to have the rules of the NSW Aborigines Protection Board, changed. These rules prevented Indigenous people from living on their own land, working where they wanted to and the freedom to move around the countryside without permission from white managers.
To many people, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, the January 26 will never be seen as a national day of celebration. For these people, the landing at Sydney Cove marks the beginning of bitter wars, unnecessary and brutal deaths, and the continuing struggle for survival by Aboriginal people in Sydney and around Australia.
Australia Hall has become a symbol of this struggle.
 Cyprus Hellene Club and Australia Hall, Sydney, NSW |
 1938 Advertisement for the Day of Mourning and Protest |
 Australia Hall is located in Elizabeth Street between Goulburn & Clarke Streets in Sydney |
Follow these links for more information:
Save
Our Site
|
