Charles Frederick Maynard

Charles Frederick ('Fred') Maynard (4 July 1879 – 9 September 1946),[1] an Indigenous Australian of the Wonnarua, was the founder of the Australian Aboriginal Progress Association (AAPA).

Fred Maynard
Born
Charles Frederick Maynard

(1879-07-04)4 July 1879
Hinton, New South Wales
Died9 September 1946(1946-09-09) (aged 67)
Rydalmere, Sydney, New South Wales
Burial placeRookwood Cemetery
NationalityIndigenous Australian
OccupationIndigenous activist; unionist
Known forFounder of the Australian Aboriginal Progress Association

Early life

Fred Maynard was the third child of William Maynard, an English labourer, and Mary Maynard, an Aboriginal woman. Mary Maynard died during childbirth in 1884, after which Fred and his brother Arthur were taken by a Protestant minister, who forced them to work long days, beat them, and housed them in a stable. However, during this time Maynard learned to read and the minister gave them access to his library.[2][3]

In his early teens, Maynard and his brother escaped the minister and moved to their sister's home in Sydney. From this point, Maynard travelled extensively, working a number of different jobs: photographer, gardener, drover and bullock driver.

Political activism and the AAPA

In 1907, Maynard returned to Sydney, working as a wharf labourer in Woolloomooloo.[2] Here, Maynard was exposed to unionist ideas, and came into contact with American and Caribbean Negroes who brought with them exciting new political ideas, in particular, those of Marcus Garvey, the leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association.[4][5]

In February 1925, Maynard and Tom Lacey founded the Australian Aboriginal Progress Association, which advocated for the right of Aborigines to determine their own lives.[6] The decision to create this organisation was heavily influenced by Maynard's own experience of being torn from his land and family in his youth.[2] The Association wrote letters to newspapers and the Aboriginal Protection Board, and in 1927 petitioned the NSW Premier, Jack Lang, for the return of Aboriginal land.[6] During this period, Maynard traveled extensively around the NSW North Coast protesting the theft of Indigenous held land.

The Association spread throughout NSW, with eleven active branches.[6] Maynard participated in public debates with public figures in opposition to changes to the administration of Aboriginal reserves.[7] Maynard's vocal and staunch opposition to the Aboriginal Protection Board led to a series of public statements by the Board in an attempt to discredit Maynard.[8] These efforts eventually led to the dissolution of the AAPA. Maynard died from gangrene poisoning following an accident on the Sydney wharves.

Legacy

In addition to his contemporary impact on the efforts of the Aboriginal Protection Board to steal Aboriginal land, Maynard's vocal style of opposition has had a significant influence on successive generations of activists in NSW indigenous communities.[9] Fred Maynard's grandson, Professor John Maynard is a notable Australian historian, specialising in Aboriginal history and the influence of early African-American politics on Aboriginal politics.[10]

gollark: But what if I want to ask when they have donkeys?
gollark: I vaguely remember the ñ being important.
gollark: Isn't it "when do you have donkeys"?
gollark: Wow!
gollark: ¿Cuando anos tienes? is the one bit of Spanish I remember and I forgot what it means. Also, it's probably wrong.

References
  1. Goodall, Heather. Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  2. Maynard, John (2007). Fight for liberty and freedom : the origins of Australian Aboriginal activism. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press. ISBN 9780855755508.
  3. "Aussie mavericks: Fred Maynard – Our first Aboriginal activist". The Big Smoke. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  4. Maynard, John (2013). "Fred Maynard and Marcus Garvey: Storming the Urban Space". Exploring urban identities and histories. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
  5. Maynard, John (2009). "'In the interests of our people': the influence of Garveyism on the rise of Australian Aboriginal political activism". Aboriginal History. 29: 1–22. JSTOR 24046685.
  6. "Australian Aborigines Progressive Association". dictionaryofsydney.org. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  7. University, Find & Connect Web Resource Project, The University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic. "Australian Aborigines Progressive Association - Organisation - Find & Connect - New South Wales". www.findandconnect.gov.au. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  8. Maynard, John (1997). "Fred Maynard and the AAPA". Aboriginal History. 21: 11.
  9. "The Koori History Website". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  10. "Staff Profile". www.newcastle.edu.au. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
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