One of the first mass protests by First Peoples in Victoria’s history, it inspired action across the country for years to come
On 4 February, 1939
An estimated 200 First Peoples, including Yorta Yorta, Bangerang and First Peoples from other Country, courageously protested by walking off Cummeragunja Station, located on the NSW-Victoria border. This was in response to decades of mistreatment and abuse by the NSW Protection Board.
Crossing the Murray River, they established a strike camp on the riverbank at Barmah, where they remained for nine months, standing united in their fight for justice and dignity.
How did Cummeragunja Station come to be?
Many residents of Cummeragunja had moved from Maloga Mission (1874–1887), seeking freedom from the strict religious lifestyle.
They petitioned the Governor at the time for the creation of a new reserve and were eventually granted 1800 acres to produce a station two years later.
Cummeragunja became a productive farm, producing wheat, wool and some dairy products. The residents led a lot of this work with the aim of self-sufficiency and the station finances were directed back into the community for community benefit.
What were they protesting?
Despite efforts to live self-sufficiently, by 1915, the NSW Aboriginal Protection Board took control, imposing harsh restrictions, removing children for labor, and diverting funds.
By the 1930s, conditions worsened, with widespread illness culminating in the first mass Aboriginal strike against their oppressive treatment in 1939.
One event inspiring the final courageous step to walk off the reserve in protest was a visit from Yorta Yorta man Jack Patten, who spoke to residents about conditions on other Aboriginal reserves and explained to them their rights.
Yorta Yorta Taungurung man, Hilton Hamilton Walsh recalls the ‘fantastic’ effect Patten’s speech had on people:
‘it was as though he opened the bloody gates and let us out and we had the outside world to look at.’
In his submission to the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Yorta Yorta Elder Uncle Colin Walker explained:
“Although many people did not return to Country after the walk-off, they made their way back at the end of their lives. A lot of them are buried back here on their Country, their land.
They never forgot where they came from.
They can’t take that away from us – it is our land.”
