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Obituary for the late Mr Roe by Theresa Roe and Family 8 March 2014
B
roome, ‘where the red earth meets the blue sea’, has lost, in the prime of life, an Aboriginal man who fought for his country. As a senior law boss of the Northern Tradition, Mr Roe was responsible for the upkeep of traditions that have been around since the Dreaming, the bugarrigarra. He learnt them by travelling through country with his grandfather, the highly respected Paddy Roe, OAM. As one of the bosses responsible for putting boys through the law, Mr Roe inspired many boys with what it means to be an Aboriginal person. In Broome, two Aboriginal law and culture traditions exist sideby-side in the Minyirr-djugun area, the Southern Tradition and the Northern Tradition. The Northern, for which Mr Roe and other law bosses are responsible, extends from One Arm Point in the north down through Broome to La Grange in the south. It was placed under the custodianship of Paddy Roe after colonisation practices depleted the numbers of knowledgeable people in the Dampier peninsula. Mr Roe, like his grandfather before him, was always generous with his knowledge of country. Frans Hoogland, long-time associate of the Goolarabooloo, remembers him saying, ‘We are always open. You want to come through our country; we can teach you.’ The custodial responsibility for law and culture means looking after sacred places in country and keeping country alive. Mr Roe saw how his grandfather was able to diplomatically deflect the desires of mining companies and tourism
developers who wanted quickly to dig up country or build big hotels. But when Woodside and its partners had the full backing of the WA government to industrialise Walmadany (James Price Point) Mr Roe had a fight on his hands far bigger than anything his grandfather had faced. With extravagant promises of remuneration, the community was bitterly divided into pro- and antigas camps. This would be the fight of his life, and he stood firm with his mother, brothers and cousins, until Woodside finally packed up and left. For environmentalists, this victory was akin to the Gordon below Franklin years before in Tasmania. Help had poured into Broome from all over the country, and internationally, as activists, businessmen, performers, anthropologists and lawyers all lent a hand. Walmadany was one battle won in what is an on-going war to protect sustainable lifestyles in a beautiful part of the country that
Mr Roe, centre, with Phillip Roe (in the striped tshirt) and Richard Hunter (in the black singlet). Image: Damian Kelly.
has enormous heritage value. This heritage is kept alive with the Lurujarri walking trail, another Paddy Roe legacy, a cross-cultural venture that educates people to value and appreciate the law and culture of the Northern Tradition. The Roe family’s pledge to the people of Broome is to protect country from thoughtless developers, while helping those who are prepared to listen and negotiate fairly. The country will continue to be protected for the practice of the Law, as well as for its lifestyle value for all people of Broome and the many tourists who come through. People all over Australia are mourning the loss of Mr Roe and celebrating his achievements. He has a large extended family, and in his more immediate family he is survived by his wife Margie and his daughters Kerstin and Keesha.
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