Eddie Koiki Mabo (c. 29 June 1936–21 January 1992) was a Torres Strait Islander who became famous in Australian history 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.
Mabo was named Eddie Koiki Sambo but he changed his surname to Mabo when he was adopte...
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Eddie Koiki Mabo (c. 29 June 1936–21 January 1992) was a Torres Strait Islander who became famous in Australian history 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.
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.
Mabo worked on a number of jobs before becoming a gardener with James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland at the age of 31. The time he spent on the campus had a massive impact on his life. In 1974 this culminated in a discussion he had with Professor Noel Loos and Henry Reynolds, who recalled Mabo's reaction as follows,
...we were having lunch one day in Reynold's office when Koiki was just speaking about...
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