Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak with pride on the condolence motion for Lionel Rose, an Aboriginal champion boxer, who served as an inspiration to many Australians but, particularly to Aboriginal people, he was a hero. Lionel Edward Rose was born on 21 June 1948 at Jackson's Track near Jindivick, Victoria, Australia and passed away at Warragul, Victoria, Australia, on 8 May, aged 62. In 2007 he had a stroke that left him partially paralysed. He had an impressive boxing record of 42 wins, with 12 wins by knockouts and 11 losses, out of a total of 53 fights. Lionel Rose was heralded as one of this country's greatest sporting heroes yet he was humble and down to earth. He will be missed by his family, but equally by the many he touched.

I want to use the words of Alan Duff from his book Maori Heroes:

Every family, group, tribe, race and nation needs heroes. Heroes give us someone to look up to. Heroes inspire us and provide a model and standard for people to aspire to. They represent what is best in us, the qualities of courage, determination, perseverance and humility and, yes, talent and intelligence. The first qualities listed are a necessity but the latter two are not. The most ordinary person is capable of being a hero.

Lionel Rose was our hero. David Horton's entry in the Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Australia, publishedby the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, appears on pages 954 to 955:

Lionel Rose, Australian boxer. Lionel Rose was born in the early 1940s. He was one of Australia's most successful boxers. Lionel grew up in an Aboriginal settlement called Jackson's Track in Victoria. When Lionel was growing up he studied his father, who was also a boxer. Lionel saw boxing as an escape from the poor living in the country. He ended up winning his first Australian amateur flyweight title when he was just 15. One of Lionel's greatest achievements was winning a world title. Although he was not the first Aboriginal to win a world title he was the first boxer to do so. Rose won the bantamweight title in 1968 against Harada from Japan. He was also only the second Australian to win a world title while still in his teens. After Lionel missed out on the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, Rose turned professional. He was trained by a Melbourne trainer named Jack Rennie. Rose entered in a fight against Rocky Gattellari at Sydney stadium. Everybody was behind Rocky Gattellari but when Lionel Rose knocked him out in round 13 the fans had a new hero. When Lionel went to Japan to fight Harada, Harada already had five successful title defences to his credit. Harada was given advice that if he hit an Aboriginal in the legs he would fall immediately. He ignored the advice and hit him in the head, but this had no effect. In the ninth round Harada dropped to his knees from a short left punch to his chin. He then opened himself to more and more punishment and Lionel went on to win that fight. Lionel Rose became a symbolic figure in the interracial politics of the times. He won his world title just a few months after the referendum which gave the Australian government new powers to advance Aboriginal rights.

Lionel was 16 when he made his professional boxing debut, and at 18 he won the Australian bantamweight title. At 19, we know that he went on to win the fight against Fighting Harada. He gained a considerable amount of weight and moved up several classes to the lightweight, but he was unable to emulate his success as a bantamweight and retired in 1976.

Lionel Rose grew up in hardship, learning to box from his father, Roy, a useful fighter on the tent-show circuit. Lionel Rose began his professional boxing career on September 1964, outpointing Mario Magriss over eight rounds. The fight was in Warragul, but the majority of Rose's fights were held in Melbourne. He lived in Melbourne with Jack and Shirley Rennie, training every day in their backyard gym.

His defeat of Harada made Rose an instant national hero in Australia, and an icon among Aboriginal people. He responded well to the public reception at Melbourne Town Hall, which was witnessed by a crowd of more than 2,000. The parade had more than 250,000 and at a point later when he was interviewed he acknowledged the impact of that crowd on him and the success that he had achieved.

Lionel Rose of course was Australian of the Year in 1968, the first Aboriginal person to be awarded the honour. In 1996, Rose presented young burns-attack victim Tjandamurra O'Shane with his world-title belt, helping to speed the youngster's recovery. Tjandamurra had been the victim of a racially charged attack in Cairns the previous year. In 2007 Lionel Rose suffered a stroke that left him with speech and movement difficulties.

I also want to share with you the person Lionel Rose was. I cite an article by Cathy Bedford in which she wrote a personality profile. This profile gives an insight into Lionel Rose the person. To do her work justice, I will quote her article faithfully:

Lionel grew up in an Aboriginal settlement called Jackson's Track near the Gippsland town of Drouin in the 1940s. Born into a large family with tight budgets Lionel was forced to bring in money to support his eight younger brothers and sisters.

He instantly looked to his father, a professional boxer in the travelling tent-show circuit. Tragically Lionel's father and greatest boxing mentor died when he was 14 before he could see his son fight professionally.

I went from nothing to something, you know what I mean … in an instant ... I got the shock of my life

“He saw one amateur fight and I won that." Lionel says. "Of course he was over the moon about that. He used to talk all the time about the boxing he showed me the real fundamentals of it. So by the time I got to the gym I trained under another fella named Frank Oakes; actually ended up marrying his daughter too.”

Lionel's path to glory was not as straight forward. A young country boy taken swiftly to the bright lights of Melbourne. From small-time bouts to a chance at the big time.

“I went from nothing to something, you know what I mean…in an instant. When we got back to Melbourne so many people lined the streets to welcome you home at the town hall. And that’s a memory that will never disappear from my mind. I got the shock of my life anyway. Especially because there were only 10 to see us off when we went over there to fight for the title.”

“I wanted to go home after a fortnight, I couldn’t hack the noise it was all that." Lionel says. "You know the city and the country it’s all differences you know. I was 16 or 17 and I couldn’t be doing the things that other 16 year olds do today."

I ended up cutting the song at Armstrong Studios in South Melbourne and blow me down it became number one within a fortnight. And it stayed at number one for 32 weeks.

"I had to be up at 6 o’clock running, I had to go to work during the day and then come home and train and then into bed again, I did that for six years… But it made a name for me and I’ve met some terrific people in my travels.”

“That was in Los Angeles, we went out to MGM studios with Elvis Presley for about three hours. I was in awe of him anyway. We were the first allowed on his set in 10 years.”

But singing was to be Lionel's triumph too. Who would have thought the poor boy from Jackson’s track could progress from the musical domain of his lounge room to the heights of the Australian musical charts with the song 'Pick me up on your way down'.

“I did a show on Channel Seven called Sunny Side Up and sung a song called Pick me up on your way down." Lionel says. "Anyhow, Johnny Young came around to the gym and look he said ‘I’ve got a song here, I’d like to record if you want to do it?’ I said ‘Nah I’m not into that I only sing in the bathroom or in the lounge room with the brothers and sisters’."

"But he persevered and I ended up cutting the song at Armstrong Studios in South Melbourne and blow me down it became number one within a fortnight. And it stayed at number one for 32 weeks that song."

But now, 25 years after he stepped out of the ring for the last time he has finally got his wish and returned to his roots in Gippsland.

“Well I’m doing good at the moment, thank you very much. It’s all clear ahead so I’m just enjoying life at the moment.”

“My mum only lives 5 mile away in Drouin so I’m back with my family, and I really am enjoying life immensely at the moment. I’ve got a hell of a lot of friends here, so there’s no shortage of that you know.”

“I’ve got fond memories of growing up here. They were probably the best times in my life. But life wasn’t too hard, we lived in a community, there were uncles and aunties living next door and down the road a bit so it was a family thing.”

“If you go down the track a bit and you look back, you realise that the days at Jacksons track were black tea and damper days but the fond memories I have of it are incredible.”

Lionel Rose never lost his connections to his community nor his family. He cherished the times when he was boxing at the height of his career and many of the memories he shared with those of us who he knew. But equally he was as content back within his community, because the memories of where you grow up, your totems and the significance of the land around you, becomes important.

Lionel, you gave all Australians a hero to be proud of. In keeping with the lyrics of your song, thank you for being you. Rest in peace in the presence of the Almighty.

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