...an extraordinarily confident man...
Koiki was an extraordinarily confident man, cheerfully confident, sometimes aggressively confident, sometimes almost arrogantly confident. And this showed in a number of ways.
But one time he and I went to Canberra to an Institute of Aboriginal Studies meeting. And when I got there, I discovered that he was hanging around waiting for a Commonwealth car so he could get a free ride into the city. And I said, 'Why?' And he only had four dollars.
I was staggered because I would never arrive in a strange city without hundreds of dollars, but Koiki had arrived with four. And he told me that Netta was a bit worried, she'd wanted him to take away twenty dollars and he said no he didn't need that. He just needed the four dollars.
But one time he and I went to Canberra to an Institute of Aboriginal Studies meeting. And when I got there, I discovered that he was hanging around waiting for a Commonwealth car so he could get a free ride into the city. And I said, 'Why?' And he only had four dollars.
I was staggered because I would never arrive in a strange city without hundreds of dollars, but Koiki had arrived with four. And he told me that Netta was a bit worried, she'd wanted him to take away twenty dollars and he said no he didn't need that. He just needed the four dollars.
Keywords: family, Mabo, Edward Koiki, 1962-1992
Noel Loos interviewed by Trevor Graham, 1996.
Author: Graham, Trevor
© Film Australia
Source: Loos, Noel
Author: Graham, Trevor
© Film Australia
Source: Loos, Noel