APA executive Committee , J. We wish to state that this policy has been endorsed by a Conference of Aborigines, held in Sydney on 26th January of this year. This policy is the only policy which has the support of the Aborigines themselves. We ask that such aid should be applied to increasing the rations and improving the housing conditions of Aborigines at present under State control. We beg that this matter be treated urgently, as our people are being starved to death.
We advocate Commonwealth Government control of all Aboriginal affairs. In particular, and without delay, all Aborigines should be entitled: a To receive the same educational opportunities as white people. Jack arrived at Cummeragunja in November , and like William Cooper months earlier, was appalled at how the residents were being treated.
Cooper however was a man of letters and diplomacy, and his appeals to the government were met at first with silence, and eventually a collective Parliamentary interest that was both fleeting and insincere. Jack Patten spoke to the residents and then demanded an inquiry via telegram to the NSW Premier before making an effort to persuade the Cummeragunja residents to publicly voice their concerns and issuing a report of their plight in a Sydney newspaper.
When intimidation tactics by McQuiggan quashed any further public motions by the residents, Jack returned to Cummeragunja in February and spoke out again, this time outlining impending Protection Board policy changes for the worse and encouraging the residents to leave and cross the Murray River for Victoria.
This event would be remembered as the Cummeragunja Walk-Off. For his actions Jack Patten was arrested and charged with inciting Aborigines. Following the Cummeragunja walk-off, the Aborigines Progressive Association was split into two distinct bodies, with each maintaining the APA title. These are the only two known protests against the acts of the Kristallnacht in the world. Four days earlier Ferguson had arranged for another contact in the media to influence the production of an article in the newspaper he was a board member of Daily News, Sydney.
These are claims that Patten vehemently disputed, unsuccessfully suing the Daily News for libel in August Patten or any other association who are attempting to stir up trouble at Cummeragunja or elsewhere.
After the meeting Jack Patten and his supporters departed the scene, only for Ferguson to call another meeting, at which Ferguson and his supporters voted to have Patten removed. E Queensland. Jack and Selina Patten. Photos from Patten Family Archives. As it was illegal for Aboriginal people to serve their country in WWII without lying about their heritage, Jack Patten campaigned in early for the law to be amended, and when the change eventually came Patten handed the Presidency of the APA to his brother in-law, William Onus.
Jack then enlisted in the Australian Army on December 12, , going on to serve in Palestine, Egypt and what would later become Israel. Discharged from active military service in April with a shrapnel damaged knee, and seen medically unfit, Jack ventured north to serve with the Allied Works Council, building roads and other necessary infrastructure at Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory and Cape York in Far North Queensland.
It was at this time when Jack was clearing land, with his family camped on the Clarence River between Grafton and Baryulgil, that the six oldest Patten children were stolen by the Aborigines Protection Board, leaving only the youngest son Cecil, in the arms of his mother. The five girls were eventually re-united at Cootamundra where they like the many other inmates were trained as domestic serfs.
The pair then fled to the safety of Cummeragunja, family and the Murray River. By , Jack Patten had relocated to Victoria, was depressed by his wartime experiences and had separated from his wife, who remained at Redfern in Sydney with their two sons. Returning to Melbourne, Jack continued his work in the Aboriginal civil rights movement, working to ensure that Aboriginal people had adequate representation when appearing in court.
Killed in a motor accident in Fitzroy in and buried at Fawkner Cemetery, Jack Patten was 52 years old. He was survived by wife Selina and their seven children.
Patten Jack Patten Koori. June 8, August 20, March 6, Bob Maza. Brian Manning. Bruce McGuinness. Charles Duguid. Charles Perkins. Charlie Carter. Chicka Dixon.
Clancy McKenna. Dadaynga 'Roy' Marika. Davis Daniels. Denis Walker. Dexter Daniels. Don Brady. Don Dunstan. Don McLeod. Donald Thomson. Dooley Bin Bin. Doris Blackburn. Doug Nicholls. Dulcie Flower. Elia Ware. Emil and Hannah Witton. Eric Onus. Evelyn Scott. Faith Bandler. Frank Engel. Gary Foley. George Abdullah. Geraldine Briggs. Gladys Elphick. Gladys O'Shane. Gordon Briscoe. Gordon Bryant. HC Coombs. Harold Blair. Patten died at the age of 52 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
He was survived by his wife and their seven children. His impacts on Aboriginal activists, campaigners, and advocates are felt to this day, and he is remembered as an founder of modern Aboriginal political actions.
Remembering William Barak: artist, activist and leader of the Yarra Yarra tribe Not only did William Barak leave a legacy of historically and culturally rich artwork, but he also tracked bush outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang.
Today, we remember a significant man in Australia's history books. Sign out. NITV Home. Previous Next Show Grid. Previous Next Hide Grid.
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