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Fed; Make Mabo day a national holiday, says widow
By Royal Abbott
MELBOURNE, April 30 AAP - The anniversary of the High Court's Mabo decision recognisingindigenous land rights should be a national public holiday, Eddie Mabo's widow said today.
Bonita Mabo is in Melbourne ahead of the 10th anniversary of the original High Courtdecision on June 3, 1992.
She told reporters that last year UNESCO recognised her husband's work and it was timeAustralia made a similar gesture.
Eddie Mabo died in 1991 after a decade-long battle to gain recognition for traditionallandholders on the Murray Islands, in the Torres Strait.
Although he did not live to see the final High Court decision in his favour, one ofhis final wishes was that a national holiday be declared to mark the moment.
Mrs Mabo said her husband had always been convinced he would win the case.
"Eddie, before the court came out, before he died, said: `When the judgment comes downand I win - I'd like that day to be a national holiday'," Mrs Mabo said.
UNESCO last year listed in its Memory of the World register the National Library'sholdings of Eddie Mabo's personal papers and the documentary record of the decade-longcourt battle for recognition of traditional ownership.
The 10th anniversary of the Mabo decision is being commemorated in Melbourne with atwo-day conference on the state of reconciliation entitled "Unfinished Business", anda day of activities sponsored by Melbourne City Council.
Mrs Mabo said as many of her family as could make it would travel to Melbourne forthe commemoration conference on June 4-5.
"They all want to come this way," she said.
A celebration was being organised in the Murray Islands to mark the anniversary, shesaid, and while she had initially hoped to take part, her family was no longer interestedin attending.
Eddie Mabo encountered considerable opposition from his fellow Torres Strait Islandersover his court bid and the rift his actions caused has apparently not yet healed.
Mrs Mabo said her home was in Townsville and she had not been to the Murray Islandsfor six years.
Her daughter, Maleta West, told reporters Torres Strait Islands community leaders inTownsville had demanded that Mabo family members wanting to attend the Murray Islandsanniversary celebrations make written applications.
Mrs Mabo said the family decided it would not be joining a queue to return to the islands.
Conference organiser John Rickard said the "Unfinished Business" meeting was importantbecause reconciliation had dropped off the national agenda.
He said the continuing community rift the Mabo case had caused in the Murray Islandsunderlined the need for everybody to reflect.
Reconciliation between black and white peoples was important, but it applied just asmuch to relationships between indigenous communities, he said.
AAP ra/clr/was/de
KEYWORD: MABO
