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Eddie Koiko MaboPrint Page Print this page

22-July-2015
22-July-2015

Photographs supplied by Ian Bevege

The sculpture commemorates Eddie Koiko Mabo.  It was commissioned by Townsville City Council to commemorate Edward Koiki Mabo and the Mabo Decision.  The Mabo Memorial Sculpture is part of Townsville City Council's Pioneers Walk.

Features include a pebble mosaic symbolic of the ancestral Octopus that brought the laws of tradition (Malo) to the people of Torres Strait Islands, 10 of these laws written in the language of Miriam Mer are etched into bluestone banding; an enlarged playable bronze replica of a Warup drum carved by Eddie Mabo, this drum represents the strength and continuum of Eddie's voice – resonating the connection between the past, present and future; a large natural granite boulder positioned at the centre of the mosaic pattern, carved into this boulder is a large fingerprint symbolising the physical, spiritual and cultural connection between indigenous people and the land.

Eddie Koiki Mabo (c. 29 June 1936 – 21 January 1992) was a Torres Strait Islander who is known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights and for his role in a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius which characterised Australian law with regards to land and title. That decision is now commonly called "Mabo" in Australia and is recognised for its landmark status.

Mabo was named Eddie Koiki Sambo but he changed his surname to Mabo when he was adopted by his maternal uncle, Benny Mabo. He was born on Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

 

Location

Address:Dean & Palmer Streets, Central Park, South Townsville, 4810
State:QLD
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -19.260844
Long: 146.818904
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Sculpture
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Indigenous
Artist:Matthew Harding

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 3rd June, 2007
Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au