Eddie Koiki Mabo

• Harley Messersmith, Grade 7
• Poetry
• 2007

Eddie Koiki Mabo,
the voice of the Murray Islands,
The courageous, daring heart at sea,
arrives at Queensland headquarters,
far from home at an unwelcoming site,

He fought for his rightful claim,
his dire, heartfelt aim,
To win Aboriginal rights,
over greedy white man’s trait
to extinguish the black man’s race.

He turned the tide on white man’s soil,
but only a little too late,
To not return to his peoples praise,
he died an honourable man,
who saved his people’s soul,

Eddie Koiki Mabo, the voice of the Murray.