Gayle Kennedy: Kevin Coombs OAM is a Wotjobaluk Elder. His portrait is called 'Honorary Pom', Kevin says:
Kevin Coombs OAM: 'How many Paralympics have I been to? I’ve played in 5. My passport was back in 1960 was an honorary English passport. They could tell you how many sheep, they could tell you how many cattle. But they couldn’t tell you how many Aboriginals there were, because we weren’t allowed to vote. We didn’t get our rights till 1967 and that’s a fact.’
John Moriarty AM: Kevin belongs to the Wotjobaluk people of Victoria. Also because of his representation for Australia in the Paralympics and his general demeanour he was accepted into the basketball hall of fame. And I think this is a great honour for not only Kevin, but for our Aboriginal people, and I think that it is well deserved. All states had different laws in regard to Aboriginal rights. Most states had what we call an exemption that Aboriginal people had to apply for to be accepted into the white community. The laws of Australia said that Aborigines should be treated differently, and Kevin had been fighting for Aboriginal rights, particularly because of his sporting ability. He is a quiet success in the fight for Aboriginal people to be part of mainstream of Australian society.
Gayle Kennedy: Thank you to John Moriarty AM. John is from the Yanuwa People and is Chairman And Co-Founder, Jumbana Group.