eddie's country

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers of this page should be aware that seeing images of deceased persons or reading their names may cause sadness or distress and in some cases may offend against cultural prohibitions.

All viewers of this page should be aware of the cultural sensitivity of some of the issues and material which this site discusses. Please be aware of the sensitivities of the living relatives and friends of those whose stories are recorded on this site.

Mr Ward
On January 27, Mr. Ward, a respected Aboriginal elder from Warburton, was being transported 380km in the back of a van in 42 degree heat with no working air-conditioning.

Mr Ward was only given a 600ml bottle of water and a pie for the journey – a journey in which the Global Solutions Ltd (GSL) officers responsible for transporting Mr Ward from Laverton to Kalgoorlie did not pause for a rest stop… until they heard a ‘thump’.

This ‘thump’ was Mr Ward collapsing in the back of the van as it neared Kalgoorlie. He died soon afterwards at the Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital.

Why was Mr Ward in custody at all, as a drink driver? Has a white drink driver ever been sent 4 hours in the back of a van in 42 degree heat to be held in custody?
Mark Binns sent these pictures of the rally held in Perth on Friday 3 April 2009.



Join the call for:

• An end to deaths in custody.
• The GSL security guards to be stood down.
• Those responsible for Mr Ward’s death to be charged.
• Compensation for the family of Mr Ward.
• The use of air transport or video conferencing instead of long road journeys.
• Health checks for detainees by medical practitioners prior to transportation.
• Immediate upgrades to and regular checks of detainee transport vehicles.
• A review of bail terms to avoid unnecessary detention.
• An end to the privatization of custodial services.

To learn more about the campaign for Mr Ward, or to make a donation, please contact
The Deaths in Custody Watch Committee (WA) Inc
PO Box 8196
Perth Business Centre
WA 6849
P: (08) 9444 1930
E: dicwc@iinet.net.au



General Links

Here are some useful links to do with the issue of Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. I used many of them while researching Eddie’s Country.
Probably the most useful site to start with is the Reconciliation and Social Justice Library. This holds electronic copies of all the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC ) reports and recommendations. This page holds a list of other articles which the RCIADIC generated or referenced.

The Australian Institute of Criminology holds many current reports which deal with deaths in custody.

The National Archives of Australia holds many documents to do with the RCIADIC. This link is to a fact Sheet on Information it holds.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission (HREOC) holds some resources which deal with the issue, including this report which looks at mandatory sentencing.

Amnesty International holds a library of documents on Australia.

Justice Action Australia

Richard Frankland was a Case Officer during the RCIADIC. He has subsequently written about his experiences, including the play Conversations With the Dead. This is his website.

The WA Deaths in Custody Watch Committee (Inc) mentions the following sites on its links page:

The University of NSW Indigenous Law Centre

Native American Inmates and Families Support Group

Alternative Law Journal





Eddie Murray
There are of course many reference to Eddie Murray on the pages of this site.

A couple of others that are of interest:

Comments from John Pilger on the case.

Speech from former Australian Senator Aden Ridgeway.

Too Much Wrong (2nd Edition) by Robert Cavanagh and Dr Roderic Pitty.

The authors of this publication have kindly consented to its publication in electronic form from this site. They note that the original publisher of Too Much Wrong was the Many Rivers Aboriginal Legal Service, and requested that permission from this organisation, or its current representative, be obtained and published here. (See below.)

The electronic edition of Too Much Wrong does not contain the photographs which were in the printed edition, although some of these may be posted here at a later date.

Arthur Murray has also approved the availability of Too Much Wrong as an electronic download.

Note from John McKenzie of the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) re Too Much Wrong :

I was the Principal Solicitor of the Many Rivers Aboriginal Legal Service when it ceased operations in June 2006 and its operations were taken over by the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited from that date. Since that date I have held the position of Chief Legal Officer of the ALS (NSW/ACT) Ltd. I am happy for the text to be reproduced on your website with the appropriate acknowledgements, as indicated in your email. I hope that by making it available more people will investigate, research and analyse the tragic case of Eddie Murray in particular, and deaths in custody in general. Good luck with your endeavours, John McKenzie, Chief Legal Officer, Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT)

To download the pdf, accept the conditions below.

I acknowledge that this pdf contains material sensitive to the Murray family as well copyrighted material which may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the copyright holders.

I accept and wish to download the pdf.

To contact the authors of Too Much Wrong send me an email, and I will forward your message.



John Pat

John Pat died in Roeburn, Western Australia in 1983. When the off-duty police officers initially found responsible for kicking him to death were not punished, the outrage felt by many people instigated the call for a Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

Some articles on the John Pat case:

Messagestick ABC

Green Left Weekly Article One

Green Left Weekly Article Two

The Alternative Law Journal has an article by Jeannine Purdy called ‘Royal commissions and omissions. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the death of John Pat’. (Alternative Law Journal, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb 1992, pp. 32–33) which is available from the ALJ (AU$8.80).



Douglas Scott

Douglas Scott's death was also examined by the RCIADIC. Doubts regarding the efficacy of its investigation still linger. Douglas' widow, Lettie Scott, has remained resolute in her determination to find out what happened to her husband, including the exhumation of Douglas’s remains – with surprising results.

Lettie's letter to the Asian Human Rights Commission

Messagestick ABC One

Messagestick ABC Two

Lettie Scott passed away in late February 2008.
You can read her obituary here.
Her fight is not forgotten.
Her sister Rhubee Neale is an artist and singer/ songwriter. You learn more about her here and here.



Wendy Hancock

Wendy Hancock died in Mullawa Prison, NSW Australia in 2005. She was supposed to be in a safe cell, with no hanging points. She was supposed to on 5-minute observations. The Prison Service's failure to ensure these and other recommendations were followed meant that Wendy was able to take her own life. I have written three articles on this subject for the Koori Mail.

You can also read them here.

Article One

Article Two

Article Three



T.J. Hickey
T.J. Hickey died after crashing his bike. Doubt exists as to whether he crashed trying to avoid being pursued by police, or because he thought he was being pursued by police. Community outrage following his death lead to rioting in the Sydney suburb of Redfern.

Links to some articles on the case follow:

Sydney Morning Herald Editorial SMH Article

4 Corners ABC-TV Investigative Report on the Redfern Riot.

Green's NSW Parliamentry representative, Lee Rhiannon , has also commented about the case.

Many more are available by using Google.

The NSW Coroner’s Report on T.J. Hickey's death is available here.



Mulrunji
Mulrunji died in Palm Island Lockup in 2004. The recent failure of the Queensland Director of Public Prosecutions to charge the police officer found by the Queensland Coroner to be responsible for his unnecessary death has outraged many people. I could supply links to the many, many articles which have now been written about this case, however I'd merely be replicating Google.

The Queensland Coroner's Report into his death is available here.

The book on the case, The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper, has its own website here.