Wave Hill Strike And The Gurindji People's Rights Movement

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Wave Hill Strike On 23 August, 1966, led by Vincent Lingiari, the Gurindji people went on a strike at Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory. It was their purpose to protest over bad work conditions, low wages, and the dispossession of their land. The Wave Hill station was established in 1914 when the British government gave the land to a pastoral conglomerate called Vestey. The station’s land encompassed Gurindji country, and the Gurindji people were taken on as cheap workers. In the 1960s, conditions became poor for Aboriginal workers. They received under minimal wages, had poor working and living conditions and disrespectful treatment. Vincent Lingiari, who was an Aboriginal rights activist, thought it was the time to make a change. Once he sparked the idea of the strike, more people joined him and took a stand against all the inequality Aboriginal people were facing. …show more content…

In his earlier life, he worked as a stockman at the Wave Hill Cattle Station. Vincent Lingiari was the main catalyst for the Wave Hill Strike, he dedicated his life to fought the rights for the Gurindji people. Because of his determination and perseverance for Aboriginal rights made him a national Aboriginal