Summary

The highpoint of anti-apartheid activism in Australia occurred in the 1960s and early 1970s. Exiled activists from South Africa, such as John and Margaret Brink, who arrived in Sydney in 1961, were important in raising awareness about apartheid. There were protests against the tour of the racially selected South African cricket team as early as 1963, and this tactic of 'Don't Play with Apartheid' became a hallmark feature of the Australian anti-Apartheid movement as it developed in the various capital cities. By the late 1960s, it had targeted South African netballers, surf lifesavers, tennis players and golfers. By far the largest mobilisations were against the Springboks Rugby Union tour in mid-1971, aided by the refusal of seven Australian 'Wallabies' to play these matches. In Sydney, the main organisations and leaders were Peter McGregor from the Southern African Defence and Aid Fund (SADAF); John Myrtle from Campaign Against Racism in Sport (CARIS); Meredith Burgmann, representing the strong anti-Apartheid movement at Sydney University; and Denis Freney of the Communist Party of Australia. Trade unions were very involved, imposing effective bans on aircraft and venues used by the Springboks; so too were Aboriginal activists, such as Gary Foley. As in other Australian cities, such disparate components became known as 'the Anti-Apartheid Movement'. The protests against the Springboks' tour of 1971 were so big and effective at disrupting their games that the Australian Cricket Board decided to cancel the projected South African cricket tour of 1972; and it resolved not to play with racially selected South African teams in future. After this huge victory, anti-apartheid activism focused on support for resistance organisations in South Africa, such as the African National Congress and the Pan Africanist Congress, and organising protests against South African government representatives in Australia, until the dismantling of apartheid in the 1990s and the election of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa in 1994.

Resources

Fliers

• Afrika Nite: Stop the Frame up Concert, Pan Africanist Congress Pan Africanist Congress P.O. Box 43, Chippendale NSW 2008., Sydney, 1989, 2 pp. PDF Details
• Campaign Against Racial Exploitation (Australia) Inc Western Australian Branch, Press Release: Funde of the ANC to Visit Perth, Perth, 21 May, 1989, 1 pp. PDF Details

Pamphlets

• Coalition Against Apartheid, Defend Anti-apartheid Activists, c1989, 8 pp. PDF Details