What was the 1965 Freedom Ride?
The 1965 Freedom Ride was a bus tour through rural New South Wales led by Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins and university students to expose racial discrimination against Aboriginal people.
The students were members of Student Action for Aborigines at the University of Sydney. Inspired by the Freedom Rides in the United States, they traveled by bus to towns such as Walgett, Moree and Kempsey in February 1965.
The group surveyed living conditions and documented segregation in towns, such as Aboriginal people being refused entry to swimming pools, pubs and returned services clubs.
Confrontations
In Moree, the students protested against a ban on Aboriginal children using the town pool. Their actions led to angry confrontations with some residents, but they eventually succeeded in having children admitted.
In Walgett, the bus was run off the road by a car, highlighting the hostility the group faced.
The Freedom Ride received national media coverage, raising awareness of racism in Australia. It helped build support for the 1967 referendum. Charles Perkins later became the first Aboriginal man to graduate from an Australian university and a senior public servant.