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This
is the story of Australia's historic Freedom Ride, the 1965 bus
journey into the heart of the country to fight racism, from one
who was there.
One
warm midnight in 1965, 29 students from Sydney University set
out on a road trip through north western New South Wales. Ann
Curthoys, the author of this book, was one of the passengers.
This was no ordinary trip and it became known as the 'Freedom
Ride'. Its purpose was to challenge the ingrained discrimination
and racism that was a largely unacknowledged feature of NSW country
towns.
The
trip was marked by repeated confrontation, intense street debates,
some physical violence, much courage from the local Aboriginal
people, and growing media coverage. By its end, the students'
leader, Charles Perkins, was recognised around the country as
a new-style fighter for Aboriginal rights.
Drawing
on a diary of her days on the bus, supplemented by interviews
with fellow passengers and much research in the archives and the
newspapers of the day, Ann Curthoys tells the story of a road
journey full of incident; a journey whose impact can still be
felt today. The voices of the participants, including the voices
of those town dwellers, both black and white, who met the bus
and had to cope with the consequences, add a special poignancy
to her reflections on the aftermath of 14 extraordinary days and
nights.
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Freedom
Ride - Endnotes to the book
National
Institute for the Humanities Public Lecture 4 Sept, 2002:
The
Freedom Ride - Its Significance Today
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