Sovereignty never ceded: how two Indigenous elders changed Canberra's big day

Submitted by Paul Daley on Sun, 07/05/2017 - 10:28am

Jimmy Clements and John Noble’s presence at the opening of the provisional parliament house in 1927 was a precursor to a history of Indigenous activism

Two old blackfellas, Jimmy Clements and John Noble, made a big effort to turn up for the opening of the provisional parliament house in Canberra nine decades ago.

But, for 50 or 60 years, many historians seemed to think – despite their very different appearances, the photographs of them together, separately and with their dogs – that Clements and Noble might have been the same old bloke.

The National Archives describes it as 'possibly the first recorded instance of Aboriginal protest at Parliament House'

The same newspapers all featured photos and reports of Clements claiming rights and sovereignty.