- 25 men were forced to take part in a First Fleet re-enactment on January 26, 1938
- Dancers and singers from Menindee mission in west NSW were taken to Sydney
- The group of men were told their rations would be cut if they did not perform
An Aboriginal elder has recalled the moment 25 indigenous men were told their families would starve if they did not take part in a First Fleet re-enactment.
Dancers and singers from Menindee mission in western New South Wales were chosen by government officials and brought to Sydney under the premise of performing cultural dances on January 26, 1938.
They were instead forced to take part in a re-enactment of the landing of Captain Arthur Phillip for the celebration of the 150th Australia Day.
An Aboriginal elder has recalled the moment 25 indigenous men were told their families would starve if they did not take part in a First Fleet re-enactment
Aboriginal elder Dr Beryl Philp Carmichael was three years old at the time but told the ABC there was a sense of fear in the community.
‘All I can remember is the crying, all the women were crying.
‘Whether they were taking them away to be massacred or what, no-one knew,’ she said.
‘The community went into mourning once they were put on the mission truck.’
The men returned to the mission a week later but they were ‘very quiet’.
‘We knew whatever happened down there really hurt them and we didn’t question them.’
Upon arriving in Sydney the men were told they would play the part of Aboriginal people fleeing from British soldiers in a re-enactment.
Dr Carmichael said the men were led in their dance by an Aboriginal actor who did not speak their language.
Dancers and singers from Menindee mission in western New South Wales were chosen by government officials and brought to Sydney
‘That really devastated the people and they refused to dance. It was the toughest time of their lives, I think.’
Activists tried to reach the men from Menindee to discourage them from taking part, but police kept them locked away in barracks.
‘[The government] threatend them and threatened them. If they didn’t perform they’d cut off the rations to their people on the mission,’ Dr Carmichael said.
Upon arriving in Sydney the men were told they would play the part of Aboriginal people fleeing from British soldiers in a re-enactment