Lyall Munro Jnr facts for kids

Lyall Thomas Munro Jnr (born in 1951) is an important Aboriginal Australian elder and a former activist. He has been a member of many groups that help Aboriginal Australians. Lyall Munro Jnr is well-known as a leader in the town of Moree, New South Wales. He is the son of Lyall Munro Snr and the husband of Jenny Munro.

Early Life and Growing Up

Lyall Thomas Munro was born in Moree, New South Wales, in 1951. He is a Gamilaroi man. He was one of 12 children born to Lyall Munro Snr and Carmine Munro. His brother, Lloyd Munro, is the vice-chair of the Moree Local Aboriginal Land Council. Lyall and his family lived on the New Moree Mission.

School Days in Moree

Lyall first went to the Moree Aboriginal School. Children at this school were not allowed to leave the school grounds. Moree was known as a town where racism was common. Lyall remembered that only Lebanese Australian shopkeepers would sell things to Aboriginal people from the mission. Aboriginal people were not allowed to try on clothes in the shops in town.

The Freedom Ride

When Lyall was 13, in 1965, a special event called the Freedom Ride came to Moree. This ride was led by Charles Perkins, a famous Aboriginal activist. The activists took six young Aboriginal boys, including Lyall's nine-year-old brother Dan, from the Moree Mission to the town's swimming pool. This pool was segregated, meaning Aboriginal people were not allowed to use it. Dan was one of the first to swim in the pool. Lyall joined the bus trip from the mission to the town. He remembers people in the town throwing things at the bus.

Moving to Sydney

In 1967 or 1968, Lyall moved to Sydney with his cousin Sammy Munro. They stayed with relatives in Bondi Junction. There, Lyall met other Aboriginal people at the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs.

Working Life and Activism Beginnings

Lyall Munro Jnr worked in different places, including Umina, Newcastle, and Wagga Wagga. He returned to Moree in 1969. In 1972, he started working on cotton farms in Wee Waa.

Cotton Farm Strike

The workers on the cotton farms formed a group called the Wee Waa Aboriginal Cotton Chippers Caucus. They went on strike to protest against low wages. Their strike was successful, and they won better pay. During this time, Lyall met Ghillar Michael Anderson and Billy Craigie. These two men helped start the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in January 1972. He also met Paul Coe and Sol Bellear from the new Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS).

Meeting Jenny Munro

In 1972, Lyall met his future wife, Jenny Coe, in Sydney. Jenny is the younger sister of Paul Coe and Isabel Coe. Billy Craigie later married Isabel.

Important Activism Work

Lyall Munro Jnr was involved in many important protests for Aboriginal rights.

Aboriginal Tent Embassy

He helped set up the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972. This was a protest camp in Canberra to demand land rights and better treatment for Aboriginal people.

Major Protests

Lyall also took part in protests during the 1982 Commonwealth Games. He was involved in the 1988 Bicentennial protests, which marked 200 years since the arrival of Europeans in Australia. He also joined protests against the government in Queensland. Lyall helped take down the gates of the Parliament House, Sydney and Parliament House, Brisbane. This happened after talks about Aboriginal land rights did not lead to any good results.

Lyall saw Paul Coe and Billy Craigie as heroes who fought for change. He also admired John Newfong, a talented Aboriginal journalist. His father, Lyall Munro Snr, and other activists' parents also joined some of the protests.

Fighting Racism in Queensland

Moree is close to the Queensland border. Many Aboriginal people in Moree have family in both states. There are strong connections between the Moree and Cherbourg Aboriginal communities. Lyall Munro considers himself a Murri, which is a term for Aboriginal people from Queensland and northern New South Wales. He was proud to be part of activism in Queensland, where racism was widespread and laws were unfair.

In 1982, a 19-year-old Aboriginal man was killed by white people in Moree. Lyall acted as a spokesperson for the community during this difficult time.

He once said, "We loved the fight in the 1970s. If we didn't agree with an organisation, we would walk into their main office and take over the building until we were made to leave."

Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy

In 2014, Lyall Munro Jnr, his wife Jenny Munro, and other activists set up the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy. This was a protest against a plan to redevelop an area called The Block in Redfern, a suburb of Sydney. The redevelopment was planned by the Aboriginal Housing Company.

Career and Leadership Roles

Lyall Munro Jnr was a founding member of the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS). He also helped start the Aboriginal Housing Company. He has worked for many other Aboriginal organisations, including the Black Theatre, Redfern Aboriginal Children's Services, Redfern All Blacks, and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.

In 1976, Lyall was one of 11 directors at the Aboriginal Housing Company in Redfern, Sydney.

In 1981, the photographer Juno Gemes took a picture of him speaking at Parliament House, Sydney. He was there as a representative for the National Aboriginal Legal Services.

Leading the ALS

In 1984, Lyall was chosen as the chairman of the ALS. He took over from Paul Coe. Before this, Lyall had worked for the service for 10 years as a field officer and administrator. In the same year, he became the first co-ordinator of the National Aboriginal and Islander Legal Service Secretariat (NAILSS).

International Work

With Paul Coe and Sugar Ray Robinson, Lyall travelled to Geneva, Switzerland. They were delegates to the United Nations Human Rights Council in 1984 and 1985. He also spent some time in Strasbourg, France. There, he ran a program and gave lectures at the International Institute of Human Rights. However, he missed Australia and felt lonely in Europe. Because of this, he promised himself he would never leave Australia again.

Recognition and Legacy

Lyall Munro Jnr is mentioned in several articles in Dawn magazine from 1963 to 1973.

A photo of Lyall taken by the famous Aboriginal photographer Mervyn Bishop is part of the Sydney Elders exhibition. This exhibition is at the Australian Museum. It was set up in 2012. The exhibition shows a selection of Elders who have helped a lot with culture, education, health, community, or social justice.

As of 2025, Lyall Munro Jnr is still known as an important local leader in Moree.

Family Life

Lyall Munro Jnr's wife is Jenny Munro. They have six children together: Mary, Raymond, Malika, Lorna, and Lyall Jnr. Lyall also has a daughter from a previous marriage named Donna and a son named Jason. Jason appears with Lyall Jnr in a photograph taken by Juno Gemes at Erambie Mission in 1978.

Close friends call Lyall Munro Jnr by the nickname "Lyally Mo."