"That's my brother."
On November 19, 2004, Valmai Aplin phoned the Palm Island Police Station to ask about her brother, Cameron Mulrunji Doomadgee, who had been arrested by Senior Sergeant Christopher Hurley for causing a public nuisance.
Mulrunji was a popular 36-year-old father on Bwgcolman (Palm Island), about 70 kilometres north east of Townsville.
When Valmai was put through to Senior Sergeant Hurley, he asked her what relationship she had with Mulrunji.
“I said 'that's my brother'," she told NITV.
“And then there was a long silence and then said he couldn't talk to anyone at the moment, and they hung up."
Just 45 minutes after being taken into custody, Mulrunji was dead in a police cell from severe internal injuries, which were later, in court, compared to those of a plane crash victim.
A post-mortem examination showed that Mulrunji had a cut above his right eye, four broken ribs, his portal vein had been ruptured and his liver had been almost cleaved in two.
Later this year, Palm Islanders will gather to mark the twentieth anniversary of Mulrunji’s death in custody.
Speaking on tonight’s episode of The Point on NITV and SBS, Valmai remembers her larrikin and kind-hearted brother.
“I didn't know how he died and then I found out ... and I just broke down,” she said.
Snr Sgt Hurley was subsequently charged with the manslaughter and assault of Mulrunji, on the allegation that he beat him inside the station, but was found not guilty of either offence.
The aftermath of Mulrunji’s death in custody saw anger and intense grief from the community.
Between Mulrunji’s death and his autopsy, community meetings were held.
Tension was high and crowds gathered. Their grief and frustration grew, and culminated with the police station being burnt down.
In response, the Queensland government declared a state of emergency on Palm Island and riot police were flown in.
Arrests and raids were conducted, which were later described by the Federal Court as a ‘racist police response’.
For Valmai, each anniversary is a time to remember her brother.
“My brother was a hunter, very kind and gentle and shared everything, made a lot of friends, hardly got in trouble with anything, police, anybody else,” she said.
“He was comical, really larrikin, always made everybody laugh.
"He was my rock. I just want to keep his memory alive.”
Bwgcolman: Blak, loud and very proud
Also tonight, The Point speaks to three remarkable Bwgcolman leaders, Dr Robert Blackley, long-time mayor Alf Lacey and deputy mayor Mersane Oui.
All three contemporary leaders draw inspiration from previous leaders and Elders of Palm Island, in particular those known as ‘The Magnificent Seven'.
Bwgcolman (pronounced Bwook-a-mun) means 'many tribes, one people'.
READ MORE
Palm Island location explainer
Established in 1914 by the Queensland Government, Palm Island earned a reputation as being one of the harshest 'Aboriginal settlements' in Australia.
Thousands of First Nations people from across Queensland were forcibly removed from their homelands and relocated to the island - in effective exile - after being branded ‘troublemakers'.
They weathered appalling working conditions, unpaid wages and the authoritarian and racist management of the settlement.
Seven Palm Island men were arrested in June 1957 at gunpoint in the dead of night, after leading the community in a five-day strike.
Their so-called crime? Demanding to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.
They seven were: Abie Geia, William Thaiday, Eric Lymburner, Sonny Sibley, Bill Congoo, George Watson and Gordon Tapau.
After their protest action, the seven ‘ringleaders’ and their families were rounded up and deported in leg irons to other Aboriginal settlements and forever banished from the island.
The strike leaders came to be known as “The Magnificent Seven”.
Mayor Lacey believes the resilience of Palm Islanders to overcome challenges is the legacy of the leaders of previous generations.
“I think that's continued to drive a lot of local Palm Island leaders in terms of doing as good as we can to make a better future for our children,” he said.
A future that generations past could never have even dreamed about.
With a population today of more than 2,500 people, Palm Island is a hive of activity - breaking free of the shackles of a dark history to be a welcoming island paradise.
Local businesses and community organisations work at creating a better future for Bwgcolman and the Island’s administration is run by an all-Aboriginal Shire Council determined to write their own narrative.
Community looking ahead
Bwgcolman is a community focused on a prosperous future.
The Council has developed a master plan balancing cultural, tourism, commercial, retail and recreation opportunities for the community.
Development of walking experiences, accommodation and re-introducing cultural events are seen as a way of building sustainable economic ventures.
Upgrading infrastructure, revitalisating the town centre, constructing new houses and establishing a model of home ownership for residents are also on the Council’s priority list.
A memorial to ‘The Magnificent Seven’ sits proudly beside where the island’s mission bell once rang out.
Featuring the names of the brave men and their families who stood up for the rights of all Palm Islanders during Strike ’57, it reiterates their catchcry: Go For Broke!
A catchcry that Dr Blackley says still echoes across his community.
“We always say Palm's not going anywhere.”
Episode 3: Palm Island – From Prison to Paradise (Tuesday 23rd July), airs 7.30pm on SBS, NITV and SBS On Demand.
