Patrons

Sam Watson of the Biri Gubba & Munnenjarl Nations

Sam's an activist, in many ways and on many levels.

Surely, Sam Watson is a worthy contender for our first Indigenous Prime Minister / President. He's a rare bridge. With his organic involvement in many camps, he's greatly assisted his people's acceptance that many non-Indigenous Australians do not share the superior, racist or divisive thoughts of others - he's a key link between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples and the rest of our multicultural populace. Sam's an acclaimed and welcomed speaker at human rights and environmental rallies.

Sam grew up in activism. At school he was a member of the underground movement - Students for Democratic Action. At the census referendum in 1967, Sam distributed "How to Vote Yes" cards, helping to ensure the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in the count. With Dennis Walker In 1971, Sam co-founded the Black Panther Party of Australia. In the same year when studying law at the University of Queensland (UQ), he led a prolonged student protest on campus during Premier Bjelke-Peterson's 'state of emergency', declared when the South African Springboks played in Brisbane. Sam and compatriots declared UQ a people's university, shutting down formal lectures; Aboriginal people then discussed racism in lecture halls. In 1972 Sam was a full time staff member of the Aboriginal tent embassy in Canberra - he was hospitalised after a police baton attack when much more than the tents were destroyed. ("Out here nothin' changes, not in a hurry anyway." Shane Howard.) Sam's the principle organiser of the annual Brisbane Invasion Day rally & march.

Sam was a foundation member of the Aboriginal Legal Services in 1972; he continues to seek ways to further his work with the implementation of the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

With his recognition of the need for political representation, Sam has stood for seats in all spheres of government ~ federal, state and local, and he continues to offer his candidature. He's stood for the ALP and for the Australian Indigenous Peoples Party that he helped to establish. In the 2001 Senate election he stood for the Queensland Socialist Alliance Party with a primary platform seeking a Treaty with the Indigenous Peoples of Australia - he gained a particularly healthy slice of the vote in this election. In 2002, Sam was a principle organiser of the People's March on CHOGM, an event that also aimed to raise support for movement towards a Treaty.

Sam's first novel "The Kadaitcha Sung" was published in 1990. In '91 the Fellowship of Australian Writers awarded him Indigenous Writer of the Year. "The Kadaitcha Sung" is soon to be shot as a feature film. Yes, he's also a filmmaker and a valued crewmember on many film & TV projects. In 1996, Sam created and produced "Black Man Down", a challenging short film that potently portrays the death in custody of a young Aboriginal warrior.

Today, 30 plus years after his student activism at UQ, he's back on the same campus as Deputy Director of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit where he lectures in Black Australian Literature.

Sam is instrumental in assisting people from all communities to recognise that racism, injustice and environmental indifference are dangerous and intrinsically antagonistic to the wellbeing of our country and all peoples.

Saba Abraham is an embodiment of principle, life, truth and love ...

... and in no way 'patronising', Saba's surely a contender for Australia's first female Prime Minister / President.

Saba was born in Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. She grew up with a background of war – a war for independence from Ethiopia. The conflict was fought for three decades, from the time of Saba's birth until 1993 when Eritrea finally gained its independence.

When she was 15, Saba joined a prominent liberation organisation. For six years, she played an active role in the struggle for Eritrean independence in her homeland. Saba's responsibilities were especially on behalf of the women of Eritrea, in fact the struggle for the rights of women was inexorably linked to the pursuit of national liberation.

With subterfuge and the false labelling of the freedom movement as an illegal "communist organisation", the Ethiopian government gained the assistance of Eritrean local authorities in helping to dismantle the group, which eventually succumbed. In 1982, Saba and surviving activists sought refuge in the Sudan where political resistance continued for another 10 years.

There, the struggle was made equally difficult by the Sudanese government that similarly branded the Eritrean Liberation Movement a "communist" organisation.

After 10 years in the Sudan, Saba and her young family escaped the harassment of many years by journeying to Egypt. A year later in 1992, Saba and her daughter Reem came to Australia with the system provided by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. After just one year in Brisbane, Saba and the rest of the world learned that Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia. For the people of north Africa, this was an event like the bringing down of the Berlin Wall a few years earlier.

Saba's life in Australia is characterised by her involvement in the African–Australian Association. She assists all people in need, be they from her homeland, from Ethiopia or from any background. With her strong sense of community, Saba's primary focus continues to be for the particular needs of women and for their full participation in communities. She strives for parity, justice and freedom for all.