31 August 2008
Go home Springboks
|
In 1971 the South African Springboks rugby team toured Australia amid controversy and chaos. Anti-apartheid demonstrators attempted to disrupt the games because the team had been selected on racial grounds.
Protesters clashed violently with police and Premier Joh Bjelke Petersen declared a state of emergency in Queensland, where police charged at and beat up demonstrators. They also had creative forms of protest; like having Aboriginal people wear the 'sacred' Springboks jersey, and getting a mixed race couple (Zimbabwean and white Australian) to stay in the same hotel as the Springboks to draw attention to the fact that their marriage would be illegal in South Africa.
The Aboriginal protesters also raised the nation's awareness of racism in Australia. The event ushered in a more militant form of protest in Australia and it kicked off our sports boycott with South Africa -- the Springboks did not return for 22 years.
Guests
Hannes Marais
Springboks captain
Geoff Shaw
Wallabies rugby player
Meredith Burgmann
Anti-apartheid protester and president of the NSW Legislative Council
Peter McGregor
Anti-apartheid protester and lecturer in media at the University of Western Sydney
Dusty Miller
Retired Victorian policeman
David Ferguson
Retired NSW policeman
Tim Dare
Former journalist with The Australian
Lilla Watson
Anti-apartheid protester
Maureen Watson
Anti-apartheid protester
Dan O'Neill
Retired lecturer in English and anti-apartheid protester
John Halfpenny
Former national deputy secretary of the Amalgamated Metalworkers Union
Presenter
Claudia Taranto
Radio National often provides links to external websites to complement program information. While producers have taken care with all selections, we can neither endorse nor take final responsibility for the content of those sites.
