Uncle George Patten Snr.

George Patten Senior was a respected activist, community leader and union advocate whose lifelong commitment to justice helped shape the course of Aboriginal rights in Australia. Growing up amidst activism, George absorbed his family’s belief in equality and collective action. Born in 1916 at Cummeragunja Mission, he was the son of Jack Patten, one of the organisers of the 1939 Cummeragunja Walk-Off, the first mass protest by Aboriginal people against government control of reserves.

After moving to Melbourne, he worked as a labourer and soon became active in the Australian Aborigines’ League. In 1940, his marriage to Susie Evelyn Murray attracted public attention reported in newspapers of the day as “unusual” because it was an Aboriginal wedding held publicly in Melbourne. At a time when the Aborigines Protection Acts restricted the freedom of Indigenous people, their union stood as a quiet act of defiance and dignity.

During the 1940s and 50s, Patten continued his father’s work, campaigning for fair wages, the right to vote and improved living conditions. Speaking at a League gathering, he declared: “We are asking not for charity, but for the rights of any man born on this land.”

In later years, George worked with Yuin Elders on the South Coast, contributing to heritage protection and community consultation on projects such as the Dignams Creek development. Remembered as a bridge between the early Aboriginal rights movement and later generations, George Patten’s legacy endures in the continuing fight for recognition and justice.