Charlie Perkins brings methods of the US civil rights movement to Australia. In his capacity of President of Sydney University’s Student Action for Aborigines, Perkins co-organises a “Freedom Ride” with 30 white students. He takes a bus ride into many country towns, including Moree, exposes racism and forces the nation to confront an issue many want to ignore. The Freedom Ride awakens media interest in Aboriginal affairs and marshals it in favour of the Aboriginal cause to the embarrassment of many in rural NSW.
Towards the end of the bus ride after visiting Kempsey, Taree, and the Purfleet Mission, freedom riders drive to Newcastle for a meeting with the parliamentary secretary to suggest ways to address some of the problems they witness. (NMA, Foley Koori History, Bronwyn Powell, Diary of a Freedom Rider)