Moree
A very dangerous night
Back in Moree, the situation soon became ugly. We went to the reserve to find volunteers to demand entry to the pool. The reserve manager tried to stop Aborigines getting on the bus, but he failed. Half a dozen children ran through the gate or climbed the fence to get to the bus. Among them was 14 year old Lyall Munro.
It seemed that the word had spread quickly, and that the whole town had gathered outside of the swimming pool. For more than three hours we tried to get the Aboriginal children admitted, but to no avail. Students would take a swimmer to the front entrance, only to have their arms pinned behind their backs and led away. Charles Perkins (left) is being led away by police.
While police and town officials sometimes handled students a little roughly, this was nothing compared to the actions of the townspeople. Peter Read wrote:
"Perkins clearest memories are the flying gravel, the tomatoes and rotten eggs, the spit, the shout ...... He thought they were going to be killed."
My own most vivid memory is of a Black woman and a White woman fighting - tearing hair, scratching and slapping. I'd never seen women fight before. I can still hear the sounds which I tried to record, but failed because someone grabbed me from behind and tried to throttle me. Later I discovered my microphone cable cut.
In the end we were forced to retreat. Covered with rotten fruit and eggs, the bus was escorted out of town by the police. The driver resigned, but the Freedom Ride continued with a new driver.
Aftermath - Confronting Segregation------------>
