Author(s): Ann Curthoys

Australian Studies

One warm midnight in 1965, 29 students from Sydney University set out on a road trip through north western New South Wales. Ann Curthoys was one of the passengers. This was no ordinary trip and it became known as the Freedom Ride. Its purpose was to challenge the ingrained discrimination and racism that was a largely unacknowledged feature of New South Wales country towns. The trip was marked by repeated confrontation, intense street debates, some physical violence, much courage from the local Aboriginal people, and growing media coverage. By its end, the students' leader, Charles Perkins, was recognised around the country as a new-style fighter for Aboriginal rights.