'Honoring a Wiradjuri Warrior': Celebrating Activist and Barrister Paul Coe at On-Country Memorial

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Note: This article features the name and image of a deceased Aboriginal person, used with the consent of his family.

Family and friends assembled at Erambie, Cowra, on Wiradjuri Country on Thursday to bid farewell to Aboriginal rights advocate and barrister, Uncle Paul Coe.

Mr. Coe played a pivotal role in founding the Aboriginal Legal Service and was the first Aboriginal individual to pursue a law degree at the University of New South Wales.

He was among Australia’s initial Indigenous barristers and was a determined supporter of his community’s rights and land claims.

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”.

“Forever cherished, remembered for your contributions. Paul has left a legacy of hope and a path we will maintain and never ignore,” she noted.

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 affectionate, gentle, and his laughter made his big belly shake. I miss that warmth, security, and the peace I felt with you, like nothing else really 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.

As his coffin was borne to the hearse by family members, Wiradjuri dance and ceremonies took place, accompanied by the sound of clapsticks and Sam Cooke’s Change is Gonna Come.