Intro: 50-80 wordsThe 2008 National Apology is the latest addition to key aspects of Australia's reconciliation with the Aboriginal owners of our land. Part of this movement towards reconciliation is the recognition of the rights of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to their land. Upon their arrival in Australia, Australia was considered by the British to be terra nullius, land belonging to no one. This subsequently meant that Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were never recognized as traditional owners. Eddie Mabo made a very significant contribution to the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal Australians as he was the progenitor of a long-running court case in 1982 fighting for Torres Strait Islander land rights. Eddie Mabo's introduction of the Native Title Act gave Indigenous Australians the ability to reclaim their land, legally recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as traditional owners. reshaped and rewrote Australian society and history. Mabo was born a Torres Strait Islander and a member of the Meriam people on Murray Island (Sea), in 1936. He became an Aboriginal community leader and human rights activist after marrying Bonita Nehow in 1959 and joined the Torres Strait Islander community. consequently becoming principal of the Townsville Black Community School in 1973. Patrick Hatch, journalist for the Herald Sun newspaper 2013, reiterated Mabo's reaction by saying his land on Mer belonged to the Crown and not his family by Professor Noel Loos and Henry Reynolds, colleagues. from James Cook University where Mabo worked as a gardener in 1974. "Everyone knows...... middle of paper ......foundation: http://www.documentaryaustralia.com.au/case_studies /details/22 /mabo-life-of-a-man-on-an-islandHatch, P. (April 5, 2013). Eddie Mabo's epic fight for land rights changed Australian law and history. Retrieved from Herald Sun: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/fight-for-land-rights-changed-history/story-fnat7jnn-1226613120932 Way, RN (January 19, 2013). Edward Koiki Mabo 1936-1992. Retrieved from Racism No Way: http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-resources/factsheets/54.htmlWay, RN (February 4, 2013). Racism. Certainly not! Project. Extracted from Racism No Way: http://www.racismnoway.com.au/site/about.htmlWikipedia. (March 19, 2014). Herald Sun. Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herald_SunWikipedia. (April 11, 2014). The Sydney Morning Herald. From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sydney_Morning_Herald