'Remembering Paul Coe: Honoring a Dedicated Wiradjuri Activist and Barrister at a Memorial on His Homeland'

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Warning: this article contains the name and image of an Aboriginal person who has died, used with permission of his family.

Friends and family gathered at Erambie, Cowra, on Wiradjuri Country on Thursday to lay to rest Aboriginal rights activist and barrister Uncle Paul Coe.

Mr Coe was instrumental in the establishment of the Aboriginal Legal Service and the first Aboriginal person to study law at the University of New South Wales.

He became one of the first Indigenous barristers in Australia, and was a staunch advocate for his people and land rights.

In a moving eulogy, his son Fred ‘Paul’ Coe remembered the luminary as a “dedicated father, grandfather and uncle”.

Born in 1949, on Erambie, he was the eldest child. He spent his early years travelling along stock routes, building his “understanding of Country, culture and lore”.

He was dedicated to learning from his Elders, watching as government policies impacted his family.

Mr Coe joined the Cadets while at Cowra High School, but left after watching members of his family be denied entry to the local RSL.

He was a talented sportsman, excelling in swimming and football. He followed his dream of football to Sydney in the late 1960s, believing “that was his pathway out, like many Aboriginal kids”.

He arrived in Sydney not long after the 1967 Referendum, and according to his son, realised that while legislation could be changed, to change society was harder.

“He landed in Redfern, mingled with friends like minded [and] before long they were under attack by police,” said Mr Coe.

A “visionary for the rights of his people to be safe and healthy”, he joined the Black Power movement in Redfern and began studying law.

His son recalls his father being followed by ASIO and the police from the early 1970s into the 1990s.

“Government were scared of a voice that wouldn’t accept the breadcrumbs they were offering,” he said.

In 1971, he helped found the Aboriginal Legal Service as a “vessel to help protect Aboriginal people’s rights”.

“The ALS was never intended to be a band-aid over the sores of colonisation,” he said.

Instead it was a “new symbol of Aboriginal self-determination”.

The Aboriginal Medical Service was established a year later, with Mr Coe being the first patient and the inaugural Chairperson. The Black Theatre and Aboriginal Housing Company came soon after.

Mr Coe protested the removal of the first Aboriginal Tent Embassy, beaten by police while doing so.

“Til the day he died my father carried those bruises on his back from that beating,” his son said.

The younger Coe recalled his father’s fight for Wiradjuri sovereignty in the Coe vs. Commonwealth case of 1979, a case that he said paved the way for the Mabo Decision.

He noted his father’s later life working at TAFE Eora and with the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council.

There were also personal reflections.

“As a father he was always present, and warm … our greatest supporter,” he said.

“He lit the fire of our Wiradjuri spirit … and was a devoted member of the Redfern community.

“In the fight for Aboriginal self-determination and sovereignty, he was unwavering, a true Wiradjuri warrior.”

His sister, Aunty Jenny Munro addressed the crowd, remembering his “wrapped sense of humour” and the way her brother would sit “always quiet, watching on”.

Her husband and staunch Gamilaroi activist, Uncle Lyall Munro, Gymbaynggirr activist Uncle Gary Williams and Tanganekald, Meintangk, and Boandik woman and lawyer Irene Watson also addressed the crowd.

“Brother Paul Coe, he was a good man,” Professor Watson said whilst wiping away tears.

She said he was a “warrior against a colonial legal system”.

“Loved always, remembered … for your life and your work. Paul has left hope and a track we will continue to weed and never let grow over,” she said.

The funeral of Wiradjuri man Paul Coe in Erambie, Cowra. Credit: ABC LiveStream

A slideshow of photos of Mr Coe was shown, to the tune of Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,

His family gathered around the coffin, kangaroo skin cloak draped ontop and adorned in flowers.

Mr Coe’s grandchildren gathered to share their memories of their Pop.

His grandson, Tate Walker, recalled sharing almond croissants and wearing his Pop’s jackets.

“I’m honoured to be your grandson and I know we all feel the same,” he said.

“Our leader, our protector … we will work hard to honour the path you carved.

“It was a privilege to help look after you and care for you in your final years.

“We look for you in the stars and find peace knowing you’re resting in the Dreamtime.”

His granddaughter acknowledged how their Pop changed “the trajectory” of Wiradjuri people “for the better”.

“Before I realised who Paul Coe was, he was Pop,” she said.

“My Pop was cuddly, he was gentle and his big belly moved with his shoulders when he laughed. I miss that, the warm safety and the peace I felt around you, like nothing else mattered.

The grandchildren of Wiradjuri man Uncle Paul Coe speaking at his funeral in Erambie, Cowra. Credit: ABC LiveStream

“He was a man of little words and I miss that, being next to someone in silence, and allowing the energy to be the love. It was precious, and you’re precious, you will always be precious.”

Many more took the microphone sharing memories of Mr Coe, including Lorna Munro who shared poetry.

Wiradjuri dance and ceremony was performed before his coffin was carried to the hearse by family, to the sound of clapsticks and Sam Cooke’s Change is Gonna Come.