Moree
Pool ban
When we arrived in Moree we were told that it wasn't like Walgett. After about a day's investigation, we found that it was. As in Walgett, segregation was rife.
In Walgett we had chosen to highlight the fact that the RSL Club refused to admit Aboriginal ex-servicemen.
In Moree we chose to challenge a discriminatory by-law of the local council which barred Aborigines, or persons "with an admixture of Aboriginal blood" from using the town swimming pool.
Bob Brown, a local store owner (above left) had vigorously opposed the regulation when he was a member of the council, but to no avail. With his support, and the agreement of the Aboriginal community, we decided to challenge the council.
With their parents permission, we collected 8 children from the Aboriginal reserve, and drove them to the pool in the bus. At the pool, Bob Brown tried to buy entrance tokens for six adults and for the eight Aboriginal children. At first the pool management refused, and there was a standoff. The crowd grew, and the pool manger consulted with the Mayor.
After more than a hour, the pool manager relented. He said there was no bar on Aborigines entering the pool, it was simply a matter of cleanliness. If he could inspect the ei ght children to confirm their cleanliness, they could enter. Eventually all eight were admitted. It seemed that the ban ha d been broken.
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