Central Land Council

The Land is Always Alive

Willowra Land Claim

The Willowra land claim is one of many in Central Australia that was delayed and obstructed through legal action by the Northern Territory Government. The station was purchased by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in 1973 and held in trust for the Willowra community. In November 1978 the CLC lodged a land claim on behalf of the traditional landowners, but the hearing, which had been scheduled to begin in December 1979 was postponed because of the Northern Territory Government legal action over the Utopia land claim.

The late Jampijinpa Martin wrote to the Chief Minister on behalf of the Willowra.

The Willowra land claim should have started yesterday. We were ready. You have asked for it to be put off. That makes the people at Willowra very angry. Nobody is telling us what to do. We started ourselves pushing for land rights. We have been doing that for many years. The individual owners asked for that.

Creed Lovegrove [Northern Territory Government official] knows. Everyone knows. We have been promised that we could make a traditional land claim under the Land Rights Act. The Commonwealth Government promised that in the Australian Parliament. We don't forget that. That is the word of the Government. You say that you are going to fight our claim, to block it like Utopia. That is breaking the Commonwealth law about land rights. That is breaking the law, the word we have been given. That is really serious. It is very wrong. You should be keeping the promise. If you break the promise they should put you along to court. We are running the place properly. We are looking after the cattle, selling them and paid all our debts. A lease for fifty years is not strong enough for us. This is our land, our tribal area, our fathers and grandfathers and uncles and mothers land. We are one community here. All the Warlpiri people at Yuendumu, Mt Allan, Hooker Creek and Chilla Well support us. You should come and talk to the community. Don't send Les Penhall [Northern Territory Government official]. We want to talk to you.

The High Court delivered its judgement against the Northern Territory Government in February and the Willowra land claim began hearings in April 1980. The area claimed covered the upper Lander River, where many of the Coniston Massacre killings took place. Jampijinpa of Willowra was just a small boy in 1928 but he remembers seeing his father shot by Constable Murray. 'Down at Tipinpa, That's this Murray bin shottit. When I was little fella.' Were you there when they shot your father? 'Yeah. Little one. When I was little boy 'bout that high, I think. I seen him. I seen him. Murray, Murray grab me then and he's hold me on the shoulder. When I was little fella. That far, that's all I know that far.'*

Title to Willowra was handed back to traditional landowners in July 1983.

Long Time, Olden Time, P & J Read, 1991, IAD Publications, p.45.