ABC Hindsite
In 1848 William Cuffay, the son of a freed slave, was arrested and transported to Van Diemen's Land by a government fearful of revolution that was sweeping through Europe. Aged 60 Cuffay, a tailor and leader of the London Chartists, was campaigning for the right to vote as part of the first mass working class movement in the world. His transportation to Australia didn't end his political activity. He continued to organise and agitate for democratic rights in Tasmania for another 20 years until his death in 1870, at the age of 82. Cuffay's Chartist legacy is today enshrined in parliaments in Britain and Australia. His lifelong political activism remains an inspiration to those who believe in workers rights, human rights and democracy. Although Cuffay died a pauper, newspapers in three states -- Tasmania, NSW and Victoria -- published obituaries. One observed that his grave had been 'marked', should a memorial to him be built at some future time. The memorial never transpired, and Cuffay was forgotten in Australia and Britain. But now there's a move to build one -- or perhaps even a statue!
Hello, welcome to Hindsight. I'm Lorena Allam. Have you heard of William Cuffay? On his death in Hobart, 140 years ago, the newspapers hailed him as the Chartist celebrity. He was black, the son of a freed slave, and in his time one of the biggest names in Britain's and Australia's movements for civil rights. When Europe was in the grip of revolution William Cuffay was thought so dangerous he was transported to Van Diemen's Land. He was 60 by then, but age didn't stop him. For the next 20 years he was a significant force in three of the biggest civil rights struggles in Australia - transportation, the Masters and Servants Act, and the right to vote. His political agitation was widely reported here and in Britain, but after his death in a poor house Cuffay disappeared from history. Only now are historians recognising his importance.
Today's program is called 'The Isle of Denial: William Cuffay in Van Diemen's Land'.
Producers Nick Franklin and Mark Gregory travelled to Tasmania in search of a lost Chartist hero.
Readings, and the voice of William Cuffay, were performed by Chris Haywood.
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