William Cooper
(18 December 1860 or 1861 – 29 March 1941)
SHEARER and ACTIVIST
An
Australian Aboriginal political activist and community leader
Introduction
William Cooper was born in Yorta Yorta territory
around the intersection of the Murray and Goulburn Rivers in Victoria,
Australia on 18 December 1860.
William was born to Kitty Cooper, who identified as a Wollithica woman and
spoke Yorta Yorta; and to James Cooper a white labourer. His early years
were spent in and around Moira Station - Moitherban country.
Cooper appears to have been forced to work for a
variety of pastoral employers, even as a child.
On 4 August 1874, William Cooper, along with his mother, Kitty, his brother
Bobby and other relatives arrived at Maloga, an Aboriginal Mission on the
Murray, run by Daniel and Janet Matthews.
Education
From 1881, Cooper was educated by Thomas Shadrach
James, a highly educated Tamil from Mauritius, who had moved to Maloga to
become the resident teacher. Cooper read widely, learning of the indigenous
rights movements in North America and New Zealand.
Adult Life and Activism
For most of his adult life, Cooper lived and worked in missions such as
Maloga and Warangesda. He also found work as a "shearer, drover,
horse-breaker and general rural labourer in Queensland, South Australia, New
South Wales and Victoria."
Cooper's long campaign for Aboriginal rights, especially land rights, began
with the Maloga Petition in 1887.
Well into his 70s, when he discovered he was ineligible for the pension if
he remained on an Aboriginal reserve, Cooper moved to Footscray in western
Melbourne in 1933. Here he found his calling as an activist, an organiser,
and a relentless letter-writer.
At first this was in an individual capacity. But by 1935 Cooper had helped
establish the Australian Aborigines League. As its secretary, Cooper
circulated a petition seeking direct representation in parliament,
enfranchisement and land rights. Knowing that, while not technically
Australian citizens, all Aborigines and Islanders were British subjects, he
made up his mind to petition King George V. Over several years, he and his
team collected 1814 signatures, despite active obstruction from the national
and state governments of the day.
Cooper was also effective in securing face-to-face meetings with
governments. 1935, he was part of the first aboriginal deputation to a
Commonwealth minister and in 1938, the first deputation to the Prime
Minister. The government of the day rejected his requests, or, perhaps more
accurately, ignored them. By the late 1930s his activities were actively
monitored. In December 1937, Cooper received a visit from a detective acting
on behalf of the Commonwealth Investigation Branch.[10] Seeing the failure
of using democratic means, Cooper's Australian Aborigines League joined
forces with Jack Patten and William Ferguson from the Aborigines Progressive
Association to shame white Australia. They arranged a Day of Mourning to
commemorate the sesquicentenary of colonisation, on Australia Day, 1938.
Cooper retired in November 1940 to reside with his wife at Barmah, near
Echuca, Victoria and was made an honorary life member and president of the
Australian Aborigines League. William Cooper continued protesting the
injustice of the Australian treatment of its Indigenous people until his
death on 29 March 1941. His major success was the establishment of a
National Aborigines Day, first celebrated in 1940.
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Did You Know? Kristallnacht (lit. "Crystal Night") or Reichskristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, Reichspogromnacht or simply Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome was a pogrom against Jews throughout Nazi Germany on 9–10 November 1938, carried out by SA paramilitary forces and German civilians. The German authorities looked on without intervening. The name Kristallnacht comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues were smashed. (Source: Wikipedia)  (Source: History Collection: Kristallnacht)  Cleaning up after Kristallnacht “There was only one ‘private’ protest (by citizens) that we know of against Kristallnacht and the German Nazi regime led by Adolf Hitler — this was instigated by William Cooper.” (Source: NITV 31 May 2018) |
Kristallnacht Protest
On 6 December 1938, several weeks after Kristallnacht in Germany, Cooper led a delegation of the Australian Aboriginal League to the German Consulate in Melbourne to deliver a petition which condemned the "cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government of Germany." The protest has been referred to as "the only private protest against the Germans following Kristallnacht." The German Consulate did not accept the petition.
Bronze statue of William Cooper in Shepparton, NSW.
The statue actually depicts Uncle William holding a petition defending the
human rights of Jewish people in response to Kristallnaucht, "The Night of
Broken Glass", when tens of thousands of Jews were arrested and taken to
Nazi concentration camps.
Uncle William presented the petition to the German Consulate in December
1938, as an act of protest against the persecution of Jewish people at the
hands of Nazi Germany.
(Source:
SBS)
AI Overview
William Cooper (1860/1861–1941) was a prominent Yorta
Yorta man, Aboriginal activist, and human rights advocate who played a
pivotal role in organizing for Aboriginal rights in Australia during the
1930s. He is recognized as a visionary leader whose initiatives continue to
influence Indigenous advocacy today.
Key Attributes and Roles
- Aboriginal Leader and Activist: Co-founded and served as the first secretary of the Australian Aborigines' League (AAL) in 1933, a foundational group that lobbied state and federal governments for rights.
- Human Rights Advocate: He was the first recorded person to lead a protest against the Nazi treatment of Jewish people following Kristallnacht in 1938, marching to the German consulate in Melbourne despite being in poor health.
- Political Campaigner: He organized the first official "Day of Mourning" on January 26, 1938, protesting 150 years of British colonization. He also initiated a petition with over 1,800 signatures asking King George V for parliamentary representation for Aboriginal people.
- Devout Christian: His political work was deeply influenced by his faith, which fuelled his commitment to justice and his opposition to oppression.
- Community Elder: A Yorta Yorta elder, he was known for his dedication to improving the welfare of his people and representing communities in Victoria and NSW who were ineligible for government aid during the Great Depression.
- Man of Integrity and Compassion:
He was described as a person with great ethical clarity, a gentle
warrior, and a man who acted with compassion beyond his own people.
Key Achievements
- Founding NAIDOC Week: Cooper proposed a "National Aborigines Day," which was first celebrated in 1940 and has since evolved into NAIDOC Week.
- Fighting for Citizenship Rights: He challenged the Australian government to extend rights to Aboriginal people, famously arguing in 1939 that Aboriginal people should not be asked to fight in a war for a country that denied them citizenship.
- Legacy of Mentorship: He mentored future Indigenous leaders, including Sir Doug Nicholls.
William Cooper's efforts were largely focused on land
rights, representation in parliament, and the right to vote. Despite facing
many disappointments and having his 1937 petition rejected, his work laid
the groundwork for future advancements in Indigenous rights.
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Did You Know? 1. 70 trees were planted in Israel in William Cooper's honour 2. Yuval Rotem, the Israeli Ambassador said of William Cooper: “William Cooper deserves to be remembered as a hero to the Jewish people and an inspiration to mankind. His message is clear: the convenience of silence is as evil as the greatest crime” 3. William was never publically recognized for his efforts during his lifetime 4. In 2018 the Melbourne Electorate of Batman has changed its name to Cooper, in William's honour |
Links:
YouTube:
William Cooper Commemoration
https://youtu.be/dEMbZuNeJRA
Tributes
On 6 December 2008, the
70th anniversary of the protest against Kristallnacht, Cooper's
grandson, Alfred "Boydie" Turner, was presented with a certificate from
the Israeli Ambassador stating that 70 Australian trees were to be
planted in Israel in honor of William Cooper. The ceremony, held at the
State Parliament in Melbourne, was attended by several dozen members of
the Yorta Yorta tribe as well as Victorian Premier John Brumby, Federal
Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin, lawmakers, diplomats and
Jewish leaders.
On 28 April 2009, five trees were planted at the Forest of the Martyrs
near Jerusalem at a ceremony in Israel attended by Turner and about 12
members of William Cooper's extended family as well as a number of
Jewish leaders. On the same day, a ceremony at the Aborigines
Advancement League in Melbourne was held to honour Cooper's "brave
stance against the oppression of the Jews."
In August 2010, the Yad VaShem Holocaust museum in Israel announced they
would honour Cooper for his protests against the behavior towards Jews
on Kristallnacht. Yad Vashem plans to endow a small garden at its
entrance in Cooper's honor. Cooper's name was submitted for recognition
when it was discovered that Cooper's rally was the only private protest
against Germany in the wake of Kristallnacht.
On 5 October 2010, the William Cooper Justice Centre was opened in
Melbourne. The newly developed court complex was named in honour of
Cooper's efforts as an indigenous rights campaigner.
 Plaque inside William Cooper Justice Centre |
 William Cooper Justice Centre - external |
In December 2010, there were three commemorative events:
• Cooper's great-grandson, Kevin Russell re-enacted the walk from
Cooper's home, meeting up with Cooper's grandson Uncle Boydie at
Federation Square.
• Cooper was honoured in Israel by the creation of an Academic Chair in
his honour to support resistance and research of World Holocaust
Studies. A professorship attached to this Academic Chair is valued at
$1,000,000.
• A Tribute was held at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Memorial, with the
family as invited guests. The Australian/Israel Leadership Forum hosted
an associated Gala Dinner to be attended by Kevin Rudd, Julie Bishop and
another 17 Ministers including the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin
Netanyahu.
Additionally, the William
Cooper Cup is an annual trophy awarded to the winner of an Australian
rules football match between the Aboriginal All-Stars and Victoria
Police at Whitten Oval in Footscray.[25]
In June 2018, the Australian Electoral Commission renamed the federal
Division of Batman to Division of Cooper in Cooper's honour.
Past
It On: Benno
and the Night of Broken Glass
(adapted by Ella Barry, ACU Education student)
Primary
Middle 
Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Personal and social capability
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Ethical Understanding
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Literacy
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Intercultural Understanding
Cooperative
Learning Activity
The "Pass It On" creative writing activity is explained to the class.
The students will be writing a short story based on what happened to a particular character in "Benno and the Night of Broken Glass".
Each group will be assigned a character. The
students are to write a story about what happened next to their character.
The writing will occur in 5 x
5 minute intervals. In the first 5 minutes,
students will be given time to write an introduction, when the 5 minutes are
up the students will fold their paper so only the last sentence of their
story is visible. They then pass their story to the person next to them (in
their group).
In the following 5 minutes, students will write a rising action. When the 5
minutes are up, the students will fold their paper so only the last sentence
of their story is visible. They will then pass their story to the person
next to them (in their group). The process will be repeated until each
student has completed their story, complete with an introduction, rising
action, climax, falling action and resolution.
Students are to be given time to read through their stories. Ask for volunteers to read aloud their story.
Students
1. In groups of 4 - 5 students, each student is to select one website from the following to understand the Kristallnacht (or the Night of Broken Glass) using the Expert Jigsaw Strategy.
Share what you have learnt.
Jewish Virtual Library |
The History Place: World War II in Europe   |
|
Destruction of Synagogues on Kristallnacht, the Night of
Broken Glass, November 9, 1938.  |
2. You are to read
or watch the picture book, Benno and the
Night of the Broken Glass by Meg Wiviott.
Benno and the Night of Broken Glass
https://youtu.be/UJAaWbk63U4?si=Yg54f3A7X9MrHnv8
3. The teacher is to divide the class into 4 - 5 within a group and allocate one character to each group:
- Benno
- Professor Goldfarb
- Frau Gerber
- Mitzi Stein
- Mosche the butcher
- Sophie
- Inge
4. Each student is to write an introduction to their story about what happened next to their character.
5. After 5
minutes, students are to fold their paper showing only the last sentence and
pass their paper to the next person in their group. They are to continue
writing for another 5 minutes. Again, the students are to fold their paper
showing only their last sentence and pass it onto the next person in their
group. This process will continue until 5 paragraphs are completed.
6. The students are then to read their story silently. If they wish to read out their story to the whole class, they are to volunteer.
7. In the vain of Josee Bisaillon, the students are to illustrate their story.
"The
Voice to Parliament" & William Cooper: Expert Jigsaw Strategy
Middle
Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Critical and creative thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability:
Literacy
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Ethical Understanding
Australian
Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
Cooperative
Learning Activity
1. To understand "The Voice to Parliament" you need to form groups of 3 - 4 students and read one article each from the following articles: Your questions answered on the Voice to Parliament: 28 February 2023 [this list will be updated].
The Conversation
28 February 2023
You are to following the rules of the
Expert Jigsaw Strategy to find out as much as you can about The Voice to
Parliament.
2. Using your new knowledge about The Voice to Parliament, compare and contrast William Cooper's thinking 90 years ago [from 2023] by investigating the following article from
3. What was William Cooper's main thinking? List.
4. Using a Compare and Contrast Table, write down the differences and similarities between the Voice to Parliament in 2023 and that of William Cooper's petition.
5.
As a class, discuss your results.
Materials
sourced from
Wikipedia
SBS [William
Cooper: a Koorie's protest against the Nazis;]
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