1965 Freedom Ride plaque trail

About 1965 Freedom Ride plaque trail

On 12 February 1965, a group of University of Sydney students hired a bus, hung a banner across the side and set off on a 2-week bus trip across New South Wales. Led by Indigenous rights activist Charles Perkins – who went on to become the first Indigenous man to graduate from an Australian university – the Freedom Ride was instrumental in raising awareness of racial injustice and building momentum for reconciliation action in Australia.

The widely publicised ride contributed significantly to changes in Australians’ attitudes towards Aboriginal rights. Subsequently, in 1967, more than 90% of Australians voted ‘Yes’ in a landmark referendum that gave Indigenous Australians full rights as citizens.

Inspiration for the ride

As the civil rights movement ignited in the United States in the early 1960s, many in Australia were compelled to stand up against racial discrimination closer to home.

This included a group of students from the University of Sydney, who formed the Student Action for Aborigines (SAFA) group. Arrente man Charles Perkins – one of only 2 Indigenous students at the university – was elected as the group’s leader.

Taking inspiration from the US Civil Rights Freedom Rides in 1961, SAFA organised its own protest bus trip to the state’s north, determined to draw attention to the inequities and mistreatment of Indigenous people in country towns.

A challenging journey

In February 1965, a group of 30 students left Sydney in a hired bus. For 2 weeks, the students rode the bus through regional New South Wales, starting in Wellington, Gulargambone and Walgett, and then moving through Moree, Boggabilla, Tenterfield, Lismore, Grafton, Bowraville and Kempsey.

In Walgett, they protested a ban on Indigenous ex-servicemen entering the Returned Services League (RSL) club.

In Moree and Kempsey, they called out local laws barring Indigenous children from swimming pools.

In Bowraville, they attempted to ‘gatecrash’ the cinema to protest the inequity in ticketing for Indigenous people.

Their efforts were not well-received by locals, who pelted the group with fruit and stones, and at one stage chased the bus in a convoy of cars. In one town, the police had to escort the students to safety.

A stunning success, regardless

While SAFA as an organisation existed for only a short time, the ride itself had a lasting impact.

Publicity for the ride was wide and far reaching, including in overseas newspapers, putting a spotlight on the extent Australia’s racial discrimination. This strengthened later campaigns to achieve greater equality and recognition for Indigenous peoples.

Charles Perkins was catapulted onto the national stage as a spokesman for Aboriginal rights and was later awarded an Order of Australia medal for services to Aboriginal welfare.

The role of the Wayside Chapel

In his autobiography A bastard like me, Charles Perkins explained how the Wayside Chapel in Sydney's Potts Point became the 'command centre' for the 1965 Freedom Ride.

The Freedom Ride in Walgett

One of the important stops along the Freedom Ride route was in the town of Walgett. The students on the ride picketed the local Returned and Services League in unforgiving summer heat, protesting its policy to ban Aboriginal ex-servicemen from drinking in its pub. They held signs which read 'Aborigines also fought' and 'Good enough for Tobruk, why not Walgett RSL?'

Some locals jeered and spat on them and, when their bus left Walgett, they were followed by a convoy of cars carrying hostile local residents. The reception of the students at Walgett guaranteed that national – and some international – media would follow the rest of the Freedom Ride intently.

Ride participant Pat Healey wrote in her diary following the Walgett stop: