Minister for Heritage Penny Sharpe and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris were in Walgett on Monday to announce a grant to complete the town’s Freedom Ride Pavilion in Freedom Ride Memorial Park.

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The Ministers also unveiled a blue plaque in Walgett to formally recognise the historic event.

It’s one of several blue plaques to be installed in key locations along the Freedom Ride route.

NSW Blue Plaques are a heritage program recognising the events, groups and people who contributed to the history of NSW.

The 1965 Freedom Ride was instrumental in raising awareness of racial injustice and building momentum for reconciliation action in Australia.

Inspired by a set of bus trips by the civil rights movement in the US, a group of 30 University of Sydney students hired a bus, hung a banner across the front and set off on a two-week journey through regional NSW.

Led by Indigenous rights activist Charles Perkins, the group rode through Wellington, Gulargambone and Walgett, before passing Moree, Boggabilla, Tenterfield, Lismore, Grafton, Bowraville and Kempsey.

Their efforts were not well-received by locals, who pelted them with fruit and stones, and even chased the bus in a convoy of cars. In one town, police officers had to escort the students to safety.

The Freedom Ride Blue Plaque Trail will capture the stories and events that took place at the key stops on the Freedom Ride journey.

In Walgett, they protested a ban on Indigenous ex-servicemen entering the Returned Services League (RSL) Club.

In Moree and Kempsey, they called out local laws barring Indigenous children from swimming pools.

In Bowraville, they attempted to ‘gatecrash’ the cinema to protest the inequity in ticketing for Indigenous people.

The widely publicised Freedom Ride contributed significantly to changes in Australians’ attitudes towards Aboriginal rights.

Subsequently, in 1967, more than 90 percent of Australians voted ‘Yes’ in a landmark referendum that gave Indigenous Australians full rights as citizens.

The community will be consulted on the locations of future plaques.

Minister for Heritage Penny Sharpe said NSW has “profoundly changed” as a result of Charles Perkins and the students who drew attention to racial injustice in our state.

“It is fitting that the Blue Plaques program will join up from Sydney to Walgett to mark the journey and tell the stories of the Freedom Ride and the changes that happened as a result of it.”

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs David Harris said, “It is crucial we celebrate the courage, resilience and strength of the original Freedom Riders and of all Aboriginal people who, now and in the past, have led the way for racial equality in Australia.”

On Monday, 24 February the Nambucca Valley community is invited to honour the legacy of the Australian Freedom Ride and the ongoing journey toward reconciliation.

From 10am, community members will undertake a ‘Walk of Respect’ from Bowraville Central School up High Street to Bowraville Theatre.

“We welcome everyone from the Nambucca Valley and beyond to stand in solidarity, reflect on our shared history, and celebrate the strength of community,” organisers said.

“Bring your family, learn together, and be part of this special day!”