Journey for Justice: Australia's 1965 Freedom Ride

In 1965, a group of Australian activists boarded buses and set out on a journey across the country.

Their aim was to raise awareness about the civil rights movement in the United States, and to inspire others to take action in support of racial equality.

This initiative would come to be known as the Freedom Bus Ride, and it would prove to be a catalyst for change in Australia's civil rights movement.

The Freedom Bus Ride was inspired by the Freedom Riders movement in the United States. In 1961, a group of black and white activists boarded buses in the American South and set out to challenge segregation laws.

The Freedom Riders faced violent opposition from those who opposed desegregation, but their courageous act helped to bring about change in the United States.

When news of the Freedom Riders reached Australia, a group of students at Sydney University decided that they wanted to do something similar in their own country. 

Australia's First Nations people had long been fighting for their rights, but they were facing many social challenges.

One of the most pressing issues was racism. Indigenous Australian people were often treated unfairly and discriminated against because two centuries of historical injustices, racial prejudices, and sociopolitical policies. 

Another issue was the lack of opportunities for Indigenous Australian people. They were often excluded from education and employment, and they did not have the same rights as other Australians. 

The Australian Freedom Riders hoped that their journey would raise awareness of these challenges and provide a catalyst for change.

One of the most famous Australian Freedom Riders was Charles Perkins, who was a leader in the fight for Indigenous Australian rights.

He was born in 1936 in Alice Springs, and he grew up experience racism firsthand.

In 1965, Perkins became the first Aboriginal person to graduate from university. He then went on to work for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, where he helped to improve conditions for First Nations people. 

Ann Curthoys, Jim Spigelman, and Darce Cassidy were among the four members of the expedition.

Ann would later write a history of these events; Jim would go on to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and Darce was an arts student who worked as a part-time reporter for the ABC.

In 1964, a group of students had formed Student Action for Aborigines (SAFA) to plan the trip and generate media attention.

The Freedom Bus Ride set out from Sydney on February 13, 1965. The group of activists rode through small towns and remote communities across New South Wales and Queensland. 

The trip was intended to be a fact-finding mission for university students who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to see, first-hand, the experiences of First Nations people in these communities.

The group hoped to raise awareness about Indigenous Australian people's poor health, education, and housing status.

They stopped at schools, churches, and community centres to talk to people about the civil rights movement. They also held protest rallies and marches. 

Students were shocked by the poor conditions that many First Nations people lived in. Indigenous Australian people were not permitted to join local clubs, pools, or eat in pubs and cafés.

One of the most memorable events of the Freedom Ride occurred in Walgett, a small town in New South Wales.

The students discovered that Indigenous Australians were restricted from entering an RSL, purely due to their skin colour.

The students held a protest outside of the RSL to try and pressure the owners to change the rule. However, this protest angered the town's residents.

Outside Walgett, the activists were met with hostility from the local white residents, who hurled racist insults at them and used cars to force the bus off the road.

Jim Spigelman used his home movie camera to record the actions of the hostile convoy of cars which followed the bus out of town at night.

Darce Cassidy filed a news report to the ABC that included this footage. 

When this information aired on TVs around Australia on the evening news, it shocked many people who lived in the major cities.

In Moree, another small town in New South Wales, the Freedom Riders protested against segregation at the public swimming pool.

Indigenous Australian people were only allowed to use the pool on Wednesdays, and they had to use a separate entrance from whites. 

Charles Perkins tried to help some First Nations children to gain entry to the pool, but they were denied.

This sparked a heated, three-hour argument between the Freedom Ride protestors and the local pool owners.

As more people gathered to watch the event, some fights broke out and police arrested a number of people on both sides of the dispute.

Finally, the pool owner allowed the young First Nations children to enter. 

Ultimately, the actions of Charles Perkins and the other riders led to the Moree Baths Committee agreeing to desegregate the pool.

This was a major victory for the Freedom Riders and demonstrated the power of peaceful protest.

The Freedom Ride also made a stop at Bowraville, where they protested against segregation at the local movie theatre.

Indigenous Australian people were only allowed to sit in the balcony, while whites sat in the main auditorium. 

The Freedom Riders attempted to enter through the main entrance of a picture theater. The theater employees, on the other hand, tried to push them out.

A group of First Nations people who had come to support the protestors were also kept out.

Finally, for the rest of the evening, the theatre owner closed off access to everyone.

Eventually, the theatre owner agreed to desegregate the cinema after the pressure from the protestors.

After three weeks, the Freedom Bus Ride came to an end in Sydney. The activists had accomplished their goal of raising awareness about racial inequality in Australia.

The Freedom Ride was widely reported in the media, and it helped to inspire other Australians to take action in support of Indigenous Australian rights. 

The Freedom Bus Ride was a significant event in Australia's history. It was a catalyst for change in the civil rights movement, and it helped to improve conditions for First Nations people.

The Freedom Riders were brave individuals who risked their own safety to fight for justice.