‘Disrespect’: First Nations man’s name removed from outback sign
A community in the far west of South Australia is raising a petition after a prominent First Nations man’s name was removed from a sign without family consultation. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains images and names of deceased persons.
A stoush is looming on the Far West Coast where the family of Mickey Free Lawrie has been upset by the recent name changing of Mickey Free Lawrie Drive to Three Mile Gate Road in the town of Koonibba, 800 kilometres west of Adelaide.
Mickey Free Lawrie Drive was the main access road into Koonibba from the Eyre Highway, but his name was removed from the signage in early April after the District Council of Ceduna approved a renaming request from Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation (KCAC).
Great granddaughters April Lawrie, Lorraine Haseldine and Heather Coleman, and great-great granddaughter Roxanne Sambo told InDaily they felt “disrespected, angry and upset” about not being consulted.
They have since started a petition which currently has more than 300 signatures to have Mickey Free Lawrie’s name reinstated on the road sign.
“It’s culturally inappropriate. If only you would have just spoken to the people, we would have come to an agreement about how we could appease both without removing his name,” Lawrie said.
“When it comes to an Aboriginal person who’s quite a significant individual in the Far West Coast for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, they are quick to actually remove it.
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“By changing the name of that road, there is no recognition of Mickey Free Lawrie on the significant role he had in the development and growth of Koonibba Aboriginal Community.”
Lorraine Haseldine told InDaily that it was a major blow to Aboriginal history in the region.
“It’s hard enough in our schools today for Aboriginal history to be taught, because the education system finds it difficult to do that. Why erase another piece of vital history from our region,” Haseldine said.
Mickey Free Lawrie, born Michael Willis, was from Mirning Country which lay along the Great Australian Bight from Western Australia into south-west South Australia.
He helped establish the Koonibba Lutheran mission in the early 1900s, building the first church in 1903 alongside another Aboriginal man Thomas Richards.
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The mission was established to provide housing, food and work for First Nations communities, welcoming those from the nearby Wirangu, Mirning, and Kokatha Countries. As of 2020, the mission has been leased to the KCAC, which also has custodianship of the community.
“He was able to communicate across the groups, bring them together to live in harmony, to work together for the greater good of Aboriginal people in that very harsh political environment under the protection era,” Lawrie said.
The District Council of Ceduna approved renaming the road to Three Mile Gate Road after receiving a formal letter request from the KCAC in September 2024.
“It was unanimously decided by our directors to provide the District Council of Ceduna with the following advice,” the letter from KCAC CEO Corey McLennan said.
“We wish for the current name of this formed private road ‘Mickey Free Lawrie Drive’ to be replaced with ‘Three Mile Gate Road’, which is a long held unofficial naming in which we at Koonibba have all known for a period spanning some 40 years.”
Lawrie said the KCAC’s push to “erase an Aboriginal figure” was “short-sighted”.
“We’re going to get some legal advice, because we need to protect our rights and interests, because they have completely ignored us and excluded the descendants and the rest of the community,” she said.
District Council of Ceduna CEO Ben Taylor said it was KCAC’s decision to rename the road and the council “provided support only in facilitating the name change at the request of KCAC”.
“The road in question is a private road on land within the custodianship of the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Council,” he said.
“Council will not be providing any further comment in regards to this matter at this point in time.”
The KCAC did not respond to multiple attempts for comment from InDaily.
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