
Working Life

May Day procession in Sydney in c1965. From left to right (holding the banner) are Charles 'Chicka' Dixon, Gilbert Jackson and Roy Carroll; the smiling man at left holding the 'Aborigines Full Rights' sign may be Ray Walker (photograph courtesy Noel Butlin Collection, Australian National University – hdl:1885/8925)
magari – to fish / binnie bow – I will make / wulunadarang – hunt / yarrabuni – mind your work! / banga or bangawarra – make or do
Sydney’s inner suburbs have long been a magnet for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking work opportunities, shelter and connections with community and family. Many worked in private industry in Sydney’s southern suburbs but the biggest employer of Aboriginal people in the city was the Eveleigh Railway Yards. Aboriginal people were also involved in the trade union movement, seeking better pay and conditions for working people.
Federal Match Factory
Australian Glass Manufacturers
Francis Chocolates
Eveleigh Railway Yards
Trades Hall
Henry Jones IXL jam factory