507:, the heart of Aboriginal spirituality. He wanted to build bridges, bringing people together through a mutual love and respect for Mother Earth. He wanted the Dreaming to enrich the lives of all Australians, and devoted the rest of his life to being a catalyst for a worldwide return to selfless ancient values. He went to the United Nations, and he asked the World Council of Churches to accept
231:, where he attended the tiny local school until he was eight. Thomas would say of this time: "All I was taught at school was to knit, sew, make little johnnycakes and tend a garden. In those days, no-one bothered to teach the Aboriginal children the three Rs". Withdrawn from school by his parents, his education in
549:
Thomas envisioned a nation that has put internal conflict between white and black
Australians behind it in the realisation of a truly unified Australian identity with a respect for Aboriginal culture and love of the land as its bedrock. While Thomas went on to work tirelessly to bring black and white
191:
who took him along on her healing rounds, and told him
Dreamtime stories. His father, grandfather and uncles instructed him in sacred rites, male ancestral laws and Yuin customs . He was eventually chosen by them to be given special knowledge and to become the future elder and spiritual leader of the
573:
He shared the
Dreamtime stories from his childhood with all who would listen. His birthday present for his 90th birthday in 1999 was the performance of a puppet show "Dreamtime Stories of the Yuin Tribe" performing a Dreamtime story as told to Thomas by his grandmother "Granny Tungii" the medicine
182:
people, which he always maintained was a Nation made up of many individual tribes. Ted is a contraction of his birth name Edwin; and Guboo, the name he was best known for, was his tribal name meaning "good friend". Guboo was son of
William "Bill" Iberia Thomas, a tribal elder, and Mary Gwendoline
471:
investigation of
Mumbulla Mountain. This investigation supported the claims of the Yuin people, and determined that Mumbulla Mountain is significant to Aboriginal people. Several politicians still claimed there were no sacred sites and dismissed Thomas's claims. In 1979 the then seventy-year-old
186:
Thomas knew most about his father's family, and it was from his father's family that he drew his strong bonds with the
Aboriginal community. His father William "Bill" Iberia Thomas (1888-?) and his grandfather Peter Thomas were both tribal elders. His grandmother Hannah (Nyaadi) McGrath was a
589:, but Wollongong Council took more almost two years before they arranged for him to come from Wallaga to the site and identify them in early 2002. Thomas was then too unwell to walk the site in order to re-locate and identify them and the site was later approved for residential development.
553:
For the remainder of his life Thomas held "Renewing the
Dreaming" Camps around Australia and overseas, for which he was well respected. However among his own people he was not without his critics, some of whom felt that he had discovered the perks of being a
428:(now AIATSIS), recording all the Aboriginal sites in coastal New South Wales. His work with the Institute of Aboriginal Studies was ground-breaking, and became the basis of all future land claims along the South Coast. He attended land rights marches in
518:
For the next 20 years he held "Dreaming camps" around
Australia and overseas to teach and pass on his knowledge, to renew the Dreaming of these places and restore sacredness to the landscape. He spent each January at Blue Gum Flats, in the
581:, in February 2002 he took part in a protest at Sandon Point near Wollongong demonstrating against a development threatening Aboriginal sites and the area's natural beauty. The 93-year-old sat in a wheelchair and
195:
His part-Aboriginal mother Mary
Gwendoline "Linno" Ahoy (1887–1959) had a Chinese father. Thomas also knew that she had French blood as her mother's surname had been de Mestre; his French great-great-grandfather
378:
foundry. Most of his working life, however, was spent as a commercial fisherman on the South Coast applying that special knowledge given to him by his elders, except that "the middleman made all the money".
444:. After five years of demonstrations and lobbying, the Wallaga Lake community received its title deeds, and he proudly accepted them. He died before the ownership of a much greater area, of the former
416:
In the early 1970s Thomas and his wife Ann and other tribal Elders joined Pastor Frank
Roberts' New South Wales Aboriginal Lands and Rights Council. This experience strengthened Thomas's commitment to
183:"Linno" Ahoy, a woman of Chinese descent. Although he was the third of ten children, he was recognised as a future spiritual leader by the elders of the Yuin before he was ten years old.
299:. He would visit the old people to learn more about their customs and beliefs, tour their sacred sites and talk to them about protecting the land and the Great Spirit that sustained it.
523:, behind Pigeon House Mountain (Bulgarn). Thousands of people from around the world came to meet him in the deep wilderness and to seek a spiritual relationship with nature. Many non-
769:
592:
Active in what he saw as his life's work till the very end, in his last days he participated in a study about Indigenous kinship with the Natural World in New South Wales.
302:
The band included seven of Thomas's family, including his father and uncles and three of his brothers. It performed traditional dances with sticks and spears, and also did
409:
laws rather than state laws, he sold his fishing-boat after 25 years, to devote himself to the responsibilities handed to him by his beloved elders. He moved back to
424:
to urge the Government to make the Wallaga Lake Aboriginal Station into a reserve and to seek protection of the sacred sites. Before long he began working with the
611:
Thomas's work in developing mutual respect and understanding, and in the renewal of the Spirit and the Dreaming, was prolific and ongoing. In his own words:
973:
534:, the 79-year-old had re-enacted his own childhood 350 km (220 mi) Dreamtime walk of seven decades earlier. The walk went from Mallacoota on the
460:
391:
653:
It was largely through his efforts that logging ceased on Mumbulla Mountain, which led to a significant land rights settlement in New South Wales.
1099:
922:
251:
and showed him all the sacred sites for which he would later be responsible. During his early years he also watched as his grandfather called in
830:
684:
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425:
291:, and sports picnics on the beach. He used these trips to visit Aboriginal missions from Victoria, up the New South Wales coast into
484:. Thomas continued the fight, and after five long years the victory was a significant land rights settlement for Aboriginal people.
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398:
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of the land where his ceremonies were held, by not always respecting their sacred sites, and by violating local Aboriginal laws.
420:
and culture. "Land rights, self-determination, and cultural identity" became his catch-cry. His activism began by hitchhiking to
394:
explained the importance of the free community at the refugee camp there, which been a centre of Aboriginal rights activism.
863:
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Indigenous kinship with the Natural World in New South Wales (for which Thomas was interviewed just days prior to his death)
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417:
1022:
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1004:
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220:
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to co-ordinate the land rights campaign. In 1978 he helped prepare land claims which were presented to the
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to help them catch whales, his grandfather even being called by the killer whales at night to join a hunt.
235:
culture then began. When he was nine, his father, uncle and other Yuin elders took him on their Dreamtime
596:
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228:
445:
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45:
919:
642:. His accomplishments showed his commitment to Australia, and his Aboriginal community in particular:
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481:
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elder first came to public attention when, largely through his efforts, the New South Wales Premier
370:, cutting railway sleepers, working in the timber industry, as leader of an Aboriginal work-crew at
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in 1932. The Gumleaf Band played at football dances, and on the back of trucks at district shows,
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performing troupe, and later was a member of the Wallaga Lake Gumleaf Band that toured southern
531:
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139:
701:
401:, which changed the Australian Constitution so that Aboriginal people would be counted in the
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After his music career Thomas then took work on various jobs around New South Wales including
346:, so very different from the traditional instruments that he played in his later years of the
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650:, an invaluable record of sacred sites along the New South Wales coast was established.
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436:. In 1977 he played a significant role in the establishment of a New South Wales
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147:
1019:
1063:(2). Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
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were restored to the area's original owners, the Yuin people, in May 2006.
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303:
131:
799:
Video Interviews - Killer whale stories - Kouri Whaling - Guboo Ted Thomas
1039:
The Dealer is the Devil: An Insider's History of the Aboriginal Art Trade
990:
The Dealer is the Devil: An Insider's History of the Aboriginal Art Trade
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The Dealer is the Devil: An Insider's History of the Aboriginal Art Trade
755:
The Dealer is the Devil: An Insider's History of the Aboriginal Art Trade
639:
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to the white community. Unfortunately he also sometimes upset the actual
468:
307:
115:
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together, his own people mistrusted him for most of his remaining life.
1001:
682:
Aboriginal Cultural Association with Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks
512:
503:. In 1984 the then 75-year-old began travelling the world teaching the
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message, believing that the noisy protests and marches only aggravated
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He died at 93 years of age on 19 May 2002, just before that year's
585:. He also identified some "sacred stones" in Thomas Gibson Park at
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421:
288:
252:
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Selected bibliography of material on the Yuin languages and people
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In 1978 Thomas became alarmed about forestry operations on nearby
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from 1818 to 1844, while his Chinese grandfather James Ahoy was a
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477:
367:
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123:
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Popular Music: Commemoration, Commodification and Communication
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343:
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515:, who would later contact him when passing through Australia.
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religions. He met spiritual and religious leaders, like the
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Bega Valley Region Old Path Ways And Trails Mapping Project
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339:
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256:
179:
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camp in the 1930s, and later, in the 1970s, he and other
783:
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864:"Aboriginal People on Sydney's Georges River from 1820"
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celebrated the rich culture and history of Australia's
499:, emphasising the spiritual unity of humankind of all
166:
Guboo Ted Thomas was born in 1909 under a gum tree at
846:
844:
842:
778:
216:, who moved back to China leaving his family behind.
542:, and took six weeks. Thomas walked with a group of
461:
New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service
322:, and singing. They made music with gum leaves, an
839:
154:to accept Indigenous religions, and also met the
1081:
357:
861:
702:"We and the land are one - Guboo Ted Thomas"
200:(1789–1844) was a prominent businessman in
862:Goodall, Heather; Cadzow, Allison (2014).
648:Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies
426:Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies
941:, Brandl and Schlesinger, 2014, p. 81-83
463:, with the help of Thomas, commenced an
568:
527:participated in these Dreaming camps.
487:Around this time, he began espousing a
1100:Australian indigenous rights activists
1082:
721:
283:, and performed at the opening of the
1041:, Brandl and Schlesinger, 2014, p. 82
992:, Brandl and Schlesinger, 2014, p. 80
757:, Brandl and Schlesinger, 2014, p. 79
699:
626:But what are you doing for the Earth?
851:1985 interview with Gubbo Ted Thomas
622:When you die you're going there too.
122:leader. He toured Australia with a
103:& Mary Gwendoline "Lino" Ahoy
1054:
855:
707:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
606:
142:on the South Coast. He went to the
114:(29 January 1909 – 19 May 2002), a
13:
480:on the Mumbulla Mountain south of
14:
1111:
266:
138:who campaigned for protection of
618:When I die I'm going down there.
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1013:
995:
982:
964:
944:
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374:, and as a union delegate at a
271:As a teenager he toured with a
221:Wallaga Lake Aboriginal Station
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792:
760:
747:
693:
675:
664:
459:threatening sacred sites. The
432:, and land rights meetings in
405:, and hereafter be subject to
1:
1061:Australian Aboriginal Studies
1057:"Guboo Ted Thomas: 1909-2002"
1048:
971:Ian West Parliamentary speech
897:. 29 May 2007. Archived from
638:, to enrich the lives of all
546:children from broken homes.
358:Land rights and cultural work
161:
99:William “Bill” Iberia Thomas
671:How I remember "Uncle" Guboo
495:. He became a member of the
16:Aboriginal Australian leader
7:
952:"Guboo, a man with a dream"
895:Museum of Western Australia
700:Brown, Bill (28 May 2013).
583:clapped two sticks together
229:Aborigines Protection Board
227:run by the New South Wales
174:area of the South Coast of
10:
1116:
646:Through his work with the
446:Wallaga Lake National Park
442:New South Wales Government
382:He spent some time at the
74:New South Wales, Australia
1073:The Sydney Morning Herald
1069:"Guboo, man with a dream"
957:The Sydney Morning Herald
733:The Sydney Morning Herald
729:"Guboo, man with a dream"
630:Thomas wanted Aboriginal
530:In 1988, the year of the
152:World Council of Churches
95:
87:
79:
63:
30:
23:
869:The Dictionary of Sydney
657:
614:The Earth is our Mother.
212:area at the time of the
112:Edwin "Guboo" Ted Thomas
438:Aboriginal Land Council
178:. He was born into the
134:and became a respected
532:Australian Bicentenary
525:Indigenous Australians
418:Aboriginal land rights
295:, and inland over the
219:Thomas grew up on the
891:"The 1967 Referendum"
285:Sydney Harbour Bridge
130:of the 1930s, played
126:orchestra during the
118:man, was a prominent
67:19 May 2002 (aged 93)
569:Later life and death
450:Gulaga National Park
448:and the rest of the
342:. Thomas played the
297:Great Dividing Range
1055:Fox, Terry (2002).
920:IAA Conference 2001
597:Reconciliation Week
476:ordered a cease to
255:to help them catch
1037:Newstead, Adrian,
1025:2008-08-01 at the
1007:2009-02-27 at the
988:Newstead, Adrian,
976:2011-05-24 at the
937:Newstead, Adrian,
925:2008-07-21 at the
833:2008-07-21 at the
815:2008-07-19 at the
772:2009-09-18 at the
753:Newstead, Adrian,
687:2009-05-15 at the
563:traditional owners
225:Aboriginal reserve
83:2 wives, 1 partner
457:Mumbulla Mountain
413:with his family.
403:Australian census
198:Prosper de Mestre
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607:Works and legacy
577:Ever the gentle
540:Hawkesbury River
259:, and called in
249:Hawkesbury River
128:Great Depression
25:Guboo Ted Thomas
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1020:Lenka's puppets
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465:Anthropological
399:1967 referendum
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348:clapping sticks
277:New South Wales
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206:market gardener
176:New South Wales
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104:
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53:New South Wales
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26:
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1075:. 8 June 2002.
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1030:
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994:
981:
963:
960:. 8 June 2002.
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538:border to the
469:Archaeological
392:Jacko Campbell
384:Salt Pan Creek
372:Warragamba Dam
359:
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268:
267:Musical career
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247:border to the
189:medicine woman
163:
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150:and urged the
144:United Nations
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901:on 8 May 2017
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735:. 8 June 2002
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168:Jembaicumbene
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72:South Coast,
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50:South Coast,
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42:Jembaicumbene
33:
29:
22:
19:
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1060:
1038:
1033:
1015:
997:
989:
984:
966:
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946:
938:
933:
915:
903:. Retrieved
899:the original
894:
885:
873:. Retrieved
867:
857:
823:
805:
794:
762:
754:
749:
737:. Retrieved
732:
723:
711:. Retrieved
705:
695:
677:
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632:spirituality
629:
625:
621:
617:
613:
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594:
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572:
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529:
517:
497:Baháʼà Faith
486:
474:Neville Wran
454:
415:
411:Wallaga Lake
407:Commonwealth
396:
381:
361:
304:step dancing
301:
270:
218:
194:
185:
165:
140:sacred sites
132:rugby league
111:
110:
101:(1888-1952)
35:Edwin Thomas
18:
1095:2002 deaths
1090:1909 births
905:19 November
875:19 November
640:Australians
364:jackarooing
308:tap dancing
105:(1886–1959)
91:12 children
38:29 Jan 1909
1084:Categories
1049:References
603:citizens.
513:Dalai Lama
509:Indigenous
430:Wollongong
397:After the
352:didgeridoo
293:Queensland
241:Mallacoota
162:Early life
156:Dalai Lama
120:Aboriginal
739:20 August
713:20 August
536:Victorian
521:Budawangs
505:Dreamtime
501:religions
489:spiritual
324:accordion
316:burlesque
314:dancing,
289:gymkhanas
245:Victorian
237:walkabout
233:Dreamtime
214:gold rush
210:Braidwood
172:Braidwood
96:Parent(s)
80:Spouse(s)
70:Moruya,
57:Australia
46:Braidwood
1023:Archived
1005:Archived
974:Archived
923:Archived
831:Archived
813:Archived
770:Archived
685:Archived
636:Dreaming
587:Thirroul
579:activist
482:Bermagui
422:Canberra
328:ukuleles
320:clowning
281:Victoria
273:Hawaiian
253:dolphins
148:New York
88:Children
574:woman.
556:new-age
478:logging
368:shellac
332:guitars
243:on the
208:in the
170:in the
124:gumleaf
634:, the
493:racism
434:Sydney
388:elders
376:Botany
344:guitar
338:, and
336:fiddle
202:Sydney
658:Notes
601:Koori
544:Koori
390:like
340:drums
239:from
223:, an
136:elder
907:2022
877:2022
741:2021
715:2021
559:guru
467:and
350:and
312:hula
279:and
257:fish
180:Yuin
116:Yuin
64:Died
31:Born
146:in
1086::
1071:.
1059:.
954:.
893:.
866:.
841:^
780:^
731:.
704:.
354:.
334:,
330:,
326:,
318:,
310:,
306:,
158:.
55:,
48:,
44:,
909:.
879:.
743:.
717:.
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