Joe McGinness collection

• A tuckerbox and wharfies hook
• Belonged to Aboriginal political activist Joe McGinness (1914-2003)
• Overlapping roles as a wharfie and activist in the 1950s and 1960s
• Builds on the National Museum's existing Indigenous collections

Joe McGinness (1914-2003) was a well-known campaigner for Indigenous rights in Australia. His mother was from the Kungarakany people in the Northern Territory and his father was an Irish immigrant. Joe served in World War II in Borneo, and after the war he worked on the wharves in Queensland, joining the Waterside Workers Federation (WWF).

Joe's involvement with the WWF was important for two reasons. First, unlike most other industries at this time, on the waterfront Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were accepted as equals. Second, through the union he learnt the mechanics of running meetings and other procedures, skills that were invaluable in his campaigning work as president of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) from 1961-1977. FCAATSI was the peak body that campaigned for Indigenous rights in the period leading up to the 1967 Referendum.

The wharfies' hook was used by Joe in the 1950s and 1960s on the wharves at Cairns. For an Aboriginal waterside worker such as McGinness, the hook symbolises his acceptance as a worker of equal status. The tuckerbox was used by McGinness in trips around northern Queensland and the Northern Territory in the 1960s and 1970s.

Joe gave his wharfies' hook to his close friend and neighbour when he was cleaning up his shed, while Joe's granddaughter offered him the tuckerbox after Joe passed away, recognising it held special memories for him. Joe's neighbour subsequently donated the Joe McGinness collection to the Museum.

The Museum has a growing collection of Indigenous civil rights material and the wharfies' hook and tuckerbox are a valuable addition.

Joe McGinness is featured on the Museum's website Collaborating for Indigenous Rights 1957-1973, related link below.

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