Vincent Lingiari Tribute

This mural is a very special memorial piece for the late, great Vincent Lingiari. Vincent Lingiari was a Gurindji man from Central Western NT working and living at Wave Hill Station. In the 1960's Wave Hill became a flash point for Aboriginal Rights with workers demanding improved  pay and working conditions as well as the repatriation of some of their traditional lands. Vincent was elected to become the leader of the workers, and took the fight to Canberra and gained national attention for the movement. After 8 years of striking the fight at Wave Hill reshaped the conversation around Aboriginal land rights and ultimately culminated in land being handed back to the Gurindji people and the symbolic gesture of Gough Whitlam pouring sand into Vincent Lingiari's hands. Later, Australian musician Paul Kelly wrote the hit song "From Little Things Big Things Grow' which tells the story of Vincent Lingiari's fight at Wave Hill.  

If you look closely at the mural you see the important elements of this story. On the left hand side there is an image from the Wave Hill Walk Off with the Gurindji workers sitting and striking rather than working. In the middle are the beautiful lyrics from the Paul Kelly song that helped immortalise the story in the public eye. Lastly on the right hand side is the symbolic finale of the fight with Gough pouring the sand into Vincent's hands.  Overall this is a beautiful, unique and special mural that encapsulates Vincent's life's work and his contribution to the Aboriginal rights movement.