A fresh documentary has brought new insights into one of the most controversial and polarising periods in Australian sports history, spanning six tumultuous weeks.
The Stan Original Revealed – Joh: Last King of Queensland debuts today (June 22), offering an insightful yet cautionary look at one of Australia’s most polarising political figures, the former Queensland Premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
This documentary examines the upheaval surrounding the 1971 Springbok tour of Australia, a national split as anti-apartheid demonstrators violently clashed with police.
Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Stan
“This essentially gave the police free rein to act as they wished. It made many of us quite apprehensive,” historian Raymond Evans remarked.
“The situation was terrifying.”
A policeman loses his hat as he runs from a smoke bomb during the 1971 anti-apartheid protests. Getty
Bjelke-Petersen assured the Queensland Police Union that officers would “not face penalties for any actions taken to quell” the protestors.
“Some officers even removed their badge numbers, which is never a promising sign,” historian Paul Bleakley noted.
“Many were injured, and a few came perilously close to death… it was an unprecedented situation; nothing like this had occurred before.”
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The Test series proceeded, with South Africa emerging victorious 3-0.
However, seven Wallabies players – Jim Boyce, Tony Abrahams, Paul Darveniza, Terry Forman, Barry McDonald, James Roxburgh, and Bruce Taafe – opted out of the matches.
“That tour fractured communities and families,” reflected Wallabies centre Geoff Shaw in an interview with rugby.com.au’s Jim Tucker in 2021.
Protestors mobilised en masse to oppose the 1971 Springboks tour of Australia. Stan
“I received several letters dropped at my doorstep in Kiama threatening that ‘you’ll be shot’ if I played,” Shaw recounted.
“It divided my own family; my older sister believed I had the right to play, while my younger sister insisted it was wrong for me to do so.
“My mother, a lovely woman and a high school teacher, had a straightforward logic… I had the right to play just as others had the right to throw stones at me.”
Protestors took to the streets in droves to oppose the 1971 Springboks tour of Australia. Stan
The Wallabies who opted not to participate were severely reprimanded at the time, but later became celebrated as the ‘Magnificent Seven.’
Their courageous act was recognised when South African President Nelson Mandela awarded them the Medal of Freedom.
Bjelke-Petersen ruled Queensland with an iron grip until investigative journalism sparked a Royal Commission, unveiling an extensive network of corruption.
Protestors took to the streets in droves to oppose the 1971 Springboks tour of Australia. Stan
Bjelke-Petersen held the office of Premier until 1987 and passed away in 2005.
“I was raised in Queensland, in the shadow of Joh, and vividly recall the influence he exerted, as well as the fervent opposition he stirred,” remarked director Kriv Stenders.
“In creating this film, I realised that while Joh belongs to history, his legacy continues to echo in our present.”
Protestors mobilised en masse to oppose the 1971 Springboks tour of Australia. Stan
THE NEW DOCUMENTARY Revealed – Joh: Last King of Queensland premieres June 22, exclusively on Stan
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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