Mabo Day Celebration Concert
The Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) in partnership with the City of Melbourne is delighted to present a free Mabo Day Celebration Concert on 3 June 2025 from 5.30pm at The Edge, Fed Square.
Join us for an evening that honours culture, community, and the extraordinary legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo – a man whose courage and determination reshaped the history of this country. The program will feature live music, spoken word, short films, and a joyful ukulele sing-along, all creating a heartfelt and vibrant tribute.
The evening brings together Torres Strait Islander performers and speakers based in Narrm, including Torres Green, Johnny Harding, Kiwat Kennell, Candice Lorrae and randals dad. Cerulean will be the MC on the evenng.
There will also be a small selection of market stalls and authentic Island food available.
‘I’m a proud Torres Strait Islander man, and Eddie Mabo has been an inspiration to me and my community. He was a man of strength and unwavering resolve, who fought tirelessly for this victory of First Peoples’ rights. It is an honour to celebrate his legacy and share in his spirit,’ says Tom Mosby, CEO, KHT.
Mabo Day is marked annually on 3 June. It commemorates Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his successful efforts to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullius, or ‘land belonging to no-one’.
The Mabo decision was a watershed moment in Australian history. In addition to overturning a long-held colonial myth, it paved the way for subsequent native title claims. The Australian Parliament passed the Native Title Act 1993, which provided a framework for First Peoples to claim native title to their traditional lands.
Sadly, Eddie Mabo died several months before the decision was handed down, though his legacy lives on.
The Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) in partnership with the City of Melbourne, and generously supported by Fed Square, present a Mabo Day Celebration Concert on 3 June 2025, 5.30 – 8.30pm, The Edge, Fed Square. Free. www.kht.org.au
Illustrations by Savi Ross (Torres Strait Islander, African American), 2025.
