One of the Great Mythological Stories of Modern Australia

“How do we not know this story? This is one of the great mythological stories of modern Australia.”

That’s how legendary Aussie singer-songwriter, Shane Howard, put it, at an unforgettable concert marking the 80th anniversary of a story worth remembering.

Way before the monumental Wave Hill walk-off, was the Pilbara Strike - a landmark strike by Aboriginal pastoral workers in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The strike happened officially between 1946 and 1949, and was the longest industrial action in Australian history at the time.

We were in the Pilbara in 2021 with the podcast, covering the award-winning First Nations media outlet (that also filmed the concert at Freo Social last Sunday), Ngaarda Media; and another amazing anniversary concert event from back then, Songs for Freedom. That also meant we got to catch an exhibition in Karratha on the Strike’s 75th anniversary.

And for just a hint of how they achieved such extraordinary coordination over vast Country …

Shane Howard wrote a song about those organisers.

He performed it on Sunday night too. Introducing it with the story of Bin Bin’s response to police when he was being arrested: ‘How much space you got in your jails? We’ll fill ‘em all.’

Earlier in the night, we were treated to the sounds of Barry ‘Turtle’ Taylor, an up-and-coming Pilbara singer-songwriter, and the grandson of Nyamal lawman Peter Coppin, one of the key figures of the 1946 strike.

The show also featured The Strike Band — ‘a special collaboration between David Milroy - a Paylku man with family connections to the Pilbara, Dave Johnson, and the show’s musical director David Hyams, with songs connected to the strike and the Pilbara region’ (pictured below with the Great Western Band).

And there was Yurti (pictured below) — a band from the famed Strelley Station in the Pilbara, combining blues and desert rock in their Nyangumarta language, sharing stories about their land, culture, and traditions. ‘Strelley was at the forefront of the Strike and settled in 1976 by the strikers and their families.’

It was all interspersed with stories from elders and descendents. One prominent elder was Nyamal and Nyangumarta Elder, Doris Eaton.

Writing about Auntie Doris at the anniversary event in Port Hedland on 1 May for Ngaarda Media, Samara Diaz wrote:

As the daughter of Ernie Mitchell, one of the key leaders of the strike, her words carry the weight of lived history and intergenerational memory. She honoured the courage and determination of the Elders who led the movement, acknowledging the sacrifices they made and the vision they carried for future generations. But she also made it clear that, despite decades of change, the playing field remains far from equal.

“We were born in one of the richest resource regions in the world,” she said, “yet our people remain among the poorest.”

At the heart of her message was a clear and urgent call for self-determination. For Eaton, this means more than consultation, it means real power, real ownership, and the right to participate fully in the economic opportunities generated on ancestral lands. “Give us the right to mine on our own lands,” she urged. “Let’s partner.”

Her words echo the spirit of the 1946 strikers, who refused to accept exploitation and instead imagined a different future, one grounded in dignity, fairness, and autonomy.

Doris Eaton brought this message to the concert too.

And I’m not sure if Shane knew it when he said ‘this is one of the great stories, it should be on the national curriculum’, but it was later announced that Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre has developed free learning materials that include resources produced by strikers, their families and representative organisations.

Wangka Maya is pleased to be hosting Education Units for Years 6 and 10 in Western Australian schools. The content may suit adult learning situations too. Remembering the 1946 Pilbara Strike Inc. developed these Units with teachers.

It’ll be the 40th anniversary of Wangka Maya next year too, a time to celebrate the dictionaries and other resources produced for many of the 31 languages of the region.

Perhaps another concert?

Lastly, Shane Howard took the stage with the Great Western Band, featuring fellow legend, pedal-steel guitarist Lucky Oceans, with David Hyams, Roy Martinez and Todd Pickett (seen in the brief video below, joined by a local didj player, for the rousing finale).

For those further afield who might not know, Solid Rock is one of the classic anthems in this country, released by the Goanna band back in 1982, to huge enduring acclaim.

And back in 2012, a 30th anniversary edition was released on the ‘… Other Side of the Rock’ album, sung in language. With guests including the children of the APY Lands Choir, who bring home a truly transcendent last chorus.

I was talking with my friend, Wajarri-Nanda, Yamatji man Dwayne Mallard, ahead of the show. He’s been close with Shane since they brought together a concert in Mildura celebrating the repatriation of ‘Mungo Man’ (another great story of this Country too few know about).

He mentioned to me that the Pitjantjatjara translation sung in that version of Solid Rock is more interpretation than literal translation. More literally translated back to English, it might go something like the words I noted Shane used on stage to introduce it:

Solid Rock Sacred Ground

You standing the right way

Living on Borrowed time

You standing the wrong way

But the winds are changing

And getting stronger

So long as we remember the stories.