OLD ISLAND TRUCK REVIVES EPIC TERRITORY MEMORIES

The  above battered   truck   on Magnetic Island  which featured in a recent  Little Darwin post sparked a response  from   Darwin  reader Robert Wesley-Smith , who responded by  saying  it  reminded him of the Bedford  truck  owned  by  Darwin watersider , musician   and  activist, onetime manager of the Workers' Club,  the  late Brian  Manning .

Hairy W-S

Today the  partly restored Manning Bedford is in the national  collection in Canberra.  The  truck  featured in many  Darwin  May Day parades  and  its  public address  system was  used  by speakers   to   voice  their views  on numerous   issues . Wesley-Smith  is shown   at the side of  the   vehicle  speaking out about the Viet Nam  War , his stance supported by  the editor of the Northern Territory News , Jim  Bowditch .

  

The Bedford  was  used  to  support  the Gurindji land rights  claim. Led  by  Vincent Lingiari, about  200 of them  walked off  the  British leased   Vestey    Wave  Hill  cattle  station  in  l966  to  their  Dreaming Place , Daguragu, called  Wattie   Creek .

They complained of  living like  dogs  on the station,  their traditional land , living in  humpies, paid nothing  or  a  pittance ,  given  almost waste offcuts  to  eat .  


The strike situation attracted  growing national and international attention and strong union support  for the Gurindji.  Manning's truck was used to supply the strikers  and  bring  in  supporters.

One of those was Aboriginal footballer and actor  Robert Tudawali , shown here alongside the Bedford.  Communist author, Frank  Hardy, organised  a demonstration outside Lord Vestey's   headquarters  in    England  and  wrote  The Unlucky Australians   about  the nine year  battle . 
 

Then  there was the 1969 song ,Gurindji Blues,the  lyrics included  Poor Bugger Me , Gurindji, working for Lord Vestey...,    by  entertainer and songwriter (They Are Bloody Good  Drinkers in the Northern Territory one of his best known  ) Ted  Egan , who  became  Administrator  of   the  Northern Territory  no less .

Agronomist Wesley-Smith , foundation member of the   Northern Territory  Civil Liberties Council , and  his wife , Jan ,   became deeply involved  in  the Gurindji  struggle, travelling   from  Darwin to   Wattie Creek  and  back in  their  own car .

 Of the about   17  trips  the Bedford made to Wattie Creek , it is suggested Manning  may have only been behind the wheel a  small number of  occasions , there  being a  range of  drivers , various  union members ,  and  supporters.   

Bedford  with a  mixed load .

 Wesley-Smith brought  Vincent  Lingiari  and his wife , Blanche Jinjaya ,  to Darwin, it taking  two days .Upon  arrival , he took them to the waterfront near his Fannie Bay house .  Vincent  quickly strode forward  to have a  good look . Blanche  lingered , then  grabbed  his arm ,   turned  to Wes , said : " You see, I have  never seen  the sea before ." She had lived in the Victoria River  region all her life .

It was also the first time  Wes had heard  her   express herself in a statement   of  length  in  English . 

Vincent   underwent   medical  treatment in Darwin  and  had  important  talks with  the many supporters  there, including  NT News  editor Jim  Bowditch and Brian  Manning . Bowditch kept the struggle in  the public eye with reports, run locally and down south , about  latest  developments at  Wattie Creek , often based on  information  supplied  by  Wes . 

 Wesley-Smith played a key  , if unusual,  part    in  the official ceremony at Daguragu  ,   on August 16 ,1975, when ALP Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam , above,  poured soil  into  the  hand of  Lingiari , symbolising transfer  of  3236 square kilometres  of   land  to the  Gurindji .

Wes not only  took  photographs of  the historic  event , but  provided a bottle of champagne   from which  Vincent and Gough  each had  a  celebratory swig .

 One of the photographs taken  on that momentous day by  Sydney Morning Herald cameraman  Mervyn Bishop   was used as the  cover  illustration  for A HANDFUL OF SAND  The Gurindji Struggle , After the Walk -Off, , by  writer  and historian Charlie Ward. 

At the book  launch,  footloose  Wesley-Smith  was photographed , with microphone ,  a copy of  the book nearby , discussing  the  topic . Looking on , to his  right , are  the  author  and former ABC   Darwin journalist   Murray  McLoughlin,then   of the  Northern Land Council , who  chaired  the  event in the
Darwin parliament house library . 

 Civil Liberties Australia   ran a  special  webpage report  about the  important Gurindji  land claim  using  Wesley-Smith  photographs  and included  details of  his  involvement .  It pointed out the Gurindji  victory was seen as an  important forerunner  to the claim by Eddie Mabo , a gardener  at Townsville University ,  over  Murray Island, in the  Torres  Strait, the High Court ruling overturning the  "legal fiction " of Australia being  terra nullius when the British took possession of the country . 

 Lingiari  subsequently  received  the Australia Medal, died  in 1988 .To further honour   him,  Wesley-Smith  successfully  urged   that one of  the two federal electorates  in  the  Northern Territory  be  named  after  Lingiari . The part Manning, the Bedford truck  and  Wes   played in the land claim struggle was covered  in  the  book STILL  IN MY MIND -  Gurindji Location , Experience and Visuality , by Brenda  L. Croft , a Gurindji community member , artist, curator and  researcher , published  by  the University  of  Queensland Art Museum , 2017.

 NEXT: A brief encounter  at  Wattie  Creek  and a detour which  surprisingly  led  to  another Aboriginal   land  claim  in which   Wesley-Smith  received a  fiery  verbal  blast  from  an  angry  station manager .