Hidden in History is a weekly column that unearths the quirky, curious and sometimes eyebrow-raising tales from Shepparton’s past. Provided by the Shepparton Heritage Centre, these articles are rooted in fact — but told with a wink and a sense of humour.
The most unsung of the Aboriginal people with links to Shepparton is perhaps William Cooper.
Born in Yorta Yorta tribal territory near the junction of the Goulburn and Murray rivers in about 1861, Cooper is recognised for his relentless fight for Aboriginal rights.
Extraordinarily, he is lesser known for having the conviction to spearhead an Aboriginal protest against the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, the first Australian public protests in support of German Jews, during the Kristallnacht anti-Jewish pogram of November 1938.
Following a December 1938 resolution of the Australian Aborigines League, Cooper led a march on the German Consulate in Melbourne in the wake of Kristallnacht, but German consul D.W. Drechsler refused the deputation entry to the building and a fair hearing.
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