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Aboriginal Australian accomplishment was front and centre at the opening ceremony of Orange’s NAIDOC Week festivities on Monday. Among the homegrown leaders to speak about the significance of NAIDOC 2020’s theme (Always Was, Always Will Be) was celebrated photographer Mervyn Bishop. As Australia’s very first Aboriginal press photographer, Mr Bishop took the famous snap in 1975 of then-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring a handful of earth back into the hand of Gurindji elder and traditional land owner Vincent Lingiari. The image would go on to be a defining one of Australia’s land rights movement. Reflecting on that historic day 45 years prior, Mr Bishop said he’d been told very little about what would transpire before he set out for the Northern Territory from Canberra. “No one gave us a heads-up on what was happening or was going to happen,” he said. Sometime en route to Wattie Creek, they learnt the Prime Minister was going to be there. Upon his arrival at the location which would come to be known as the birthplace of the Aboriginal land-rights movement, the young photographer had approached Gough Whitlam and instructed him where to stand for the photo with Vincent Lingiari that would make it into both the history books and Australian folklore. Along with Mr Bishop, the day’s other guest speakers included local artist and Wiradjuri woman Kylie Tareton and the CEO of the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council, Annette Steele. NAIDOC festivities will continue throughout the week.
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Aboriginal Australian accomplishment was front and centre at the opening ceremony of Orange’s NAIDOC Week festivities on Monday.
Among the homegrown leaders to speak about the significance of NAIDOC 2020’s theme (Always Was, Always Will Be) was celebrated photographer Mervyn Bishop.
As Australia’s very first Aboriginal press photographer, Mr Bishop took the famous snap in 1975 of then-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring a handful of earth back into the hand of Gurindji elder and traditional land owner Vincent Lingiari.
The image would go on to be a defining one of Australia’s land rights movement.
Reflecting on that historic day 45 years prior, Mr Bishop said he’d been told very little about what would transpire before he set out for the Northern Territory from Canberra.
“No one gave us a heads-up on what was happening or was going to happen,” he said. Sometime en route to Wattie Creek, they learnt the Prime Minister was going to be there.
Upon his arrival at the location which would come to be known as the birthplace of the Aboriginal land-rights movement, the young photographer had approached Gough Whitlam and instructed him where to stand for the photo with Vincent Lingiari that would make it into both the history books and Australian folklore.
Along with Mr Bishop, the day’s other guest speakers included local artist and Wiradjuri woman Kylie Tareton and the CEO of the Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council, Annette Steele. NAIDOC festivities will continue throughout the week.
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