GATHERING STRENGTH: S1E3 - Acting

Go inside communities to find out what’s happening on country when it comes to self-determination. You’ll hear proactive solutions from human rights advocates whose actions have a real-world impact.

-

When your last name is Mabo, you rightfully have a place etched into the history of human rights.

That’s the legacy proudly carried in the heart and head of Kaleb Mabo, the grandson of land rights pioneer Eddie Mabo.

“It’s enormous. It’s an enormous achievement when I reflect back on what he has done.”

“It’s something I take very seriously and I’m always looking at how I can further improve the Mabo name or his legacy itself, and how we can bring it more into the light of the everyday Australian.”

Kaleb has travelled to many communities and can see the consequences of his grandfather’s fight for Native Title.

In this Gathering Strength series, you’ll hear what other actions are having a real impact in communities.

Kaleb Mabo shares his story of going back to his grandfather’s land and the privilege he feels to carry on Eddie Mabo’s legacy.

And artist Elverina Johnson paints a picture of activism and advocacy through art which is her chosen form of truth-telling.

Local voices and local solutions from community leaders, aunties, uncles and young people who are taking change and working towards self-determination.

Thanks also to other community members featured in this episode including Thomas Mayo, Gaja Kerry Charlton, Bruce Simpson, Suzanne Thompson, Vonda Malone, Dr Alicia Veasey, Mena Waller, Alf Lacey, Dr Mark Wenitong and Manny Williams.

 

+++

 

Rights Made Real is a podcast from the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

This series, Gathering Strength, is based on interviews conducted during the Bandarran Marra’Gu summit in Queensland in 2025.

You can follow Queensland Human Rights Commission on Instagram or LinkedIn.

This series was produced by Deadset Studios: Host Solua Middleton, executive producer Kellie Riordan, supervising producer Rebecca Levingston, and producer/editors are Liam Riordan and Melissa May. Strategist is Ann Chesterman.

Our theme music was composed by Clay Cassar-Daley.

Thanks to the technical staff at the State Library of Queensland.

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Turrbal and Yuggera people. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.

 

+++

 

----more----

Rights Made Real is a podcast from the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

The functions of the Queensland Human Rights Commission include promoting an understanding and acceptance, and public discussion, of human rights in Queensland and making information about human rights available to the community.

The content presented in this podcast is distributed by the Queensland Human Rights Commission as an information source only. The information may include the views or recommendations of other organisations or people, which are not necessarily the views of the Commission. The Queensland Human Rights Commission makes no statements, representations or warranties about the accuracy, currency or completeness of any information available in this podcast.