In the 1967 referendum on Indigenous rights, the NSW electorate of Cowper recorded one of the highest 'no' votes. Now, Gumbaynggirr elders are reflecting on past lessons as they prepare for the second Indigenous referendum in their lifetime.
abc.net.au/news/bowraville-elders-grappling-with-voice-debate-730/102660028Two days after the 1967 referendum, folks in the sleepy town of Bowraville on the mid-north coast hinterland of New South Wales were reflecting on the weekend's big vote on Aboriginal rights.
"You can't trust a bloody Blackfulla no matter where he is, he gets on the plonk and he won't work," another Bowraville local told the ABC.The federal electorate of Cowper, which includes towns Coffs Harbour and Bowraville, recorded heavy opposition to what was known at the time as the "Aboriginal question."
"For me, Bowraville hasn't changed. I feel Cowper hasn't changed. I still feel it's so conservative. It's like a straitjacket." During the last referendum on Indigenous rights, Aunty Bea was a young mum struggling to survive and living in Gunnedah. Closing the gap is one of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's key arguments advocating for the Voice, but Martin Ballangarry's struggling to believe in the government's ability to deliver to communities at the coalface of disadvantage."Their habits took em. Drug and alcohol, ya know," he shares.Uncle Martin Ballangarry has been involved with a “Referendum Talking Time” event at the Bowraville Community Centre.
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