Articles
William Cooper (1861-1941)
William Cooper was an early champion of advocating Aboriginal representation in Parliament. Born in 1861, Cooper's family came from the Yorta Yorta nation along the Murray and Goulburn rivers.
Cooper came to Melbourne in 1933 and became an active member of the local Aboriginal community. He was a founding member of the Australian Aborigines' League and was a role model for later leaders such as Sir Douglas Nicholls.
In 1933 Cooper attempted to raise a petition to the King asking for Aboriginal representation in Parliament. Cooper was quoted in the The Weekly Times as saying the
"...the object is to put the aborigines on the same footing as the Maoris. In New Zealand...Parliament and Government offices were open to Maoris equal with Europeans."
As Secretary of the Australian Aborigines's League he wrote to the Argus to inform people of the survey, stating he had already accumulated nearly 3,000 signatures. Unfortunately Parliament used a loop hole in the law to avoid presenting the petition to George V.
In 1937 Cooper was active in trying to protect the rights of the Aborigines at Framlingham Reserve who were denied the right to be at the reserve due to their mixed race background. An agreement in principle had been made to provide 10 acre lots for this people but nothing had been implemented. The Reserve celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2014.
In 1938 the Australian Aborigines League attemtped to present to the German Consulate a resolution condemning the behaviour of the German Government against its Jewish citizens on behalf of the "...the Aborigines of Australia." Unfortunately the Consultate refused to meet them.
By the late 1930s William Cooper was being actively quoted in the Melbourne newspapers, indicating his role as a spokesman for the Australian Aborigines League. In 1939 he explained to the Argus newspaper that the large number of Aborigines leaving the Cumerouognuga Station was due to the poor conditions at the Station with only 3 shillings and sixpence allocated to food rations for adults and half that for children, resulting in malnutrition and high mortality rates.
The Australian Aborigines' League was not only focussed on political outcomes. In 1936 it put on a benefit concert for an Aboriginal family who had the misfortune to lose a father in an accident which also saw the son lose an arm. The Aboriginal Choir performed during the concert.
In June 2018 the Victorian Electoral Commission changed the name of the Electorate of Batman to Cooper to honour the achievements of William Cooper.
Links and Sources
'Conditions of Aborigines'. (1934, December 5). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 10.
'Deputation not admitted'. (1938, December 7). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 5.
'Aborigines League. Framlington Reserve Case." (1937, December 14). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p.8
'Why blacks left.' (1939, February 9). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 10.
'General news.' 1936, June 23) The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p.17
