{"id":505472,"date":"2025-10-17T00:27:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T00:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/505472\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T00:27:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T00:27:26","slug":"king-charles-commemorates-40th-anniversary-of-uluru-handback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/505472\/","title":{"rendered":"King Charles commemorates 40th anniversary of Uluru handback"},"content":{"rendered":"

King Charles has marked a major Aboriginal land rights milestone alongside Uluru-Kata Tjuta’s traditional owners.<\/p>\n

He attended a commemoration for the 40th anniversary of the Uluru handback in his first visit to London’s Australia House since he became king.<\/p>\n

On October 26, 1985, the Commonwealth government handed the title deeds for Uluru-Kata Tjuta back to its traditional owners, known as Anangu.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Traditional owners say they want to keep their culture alive and strong for future generations. (Reuters: Jack Taylor)<\/p>\n

“It sort of brings us into tears and sadness, but happiness as well,” Sammy Wilson said via interpreter and fellow traditional owner Harry Wilson.<\/p>\n

They were among a group of nine Anangu who swapped the red dirt of the outback for the marble floors of Australia House for the commemoration.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Nine Anangu commemorated the anniversary alongside the king. (Reuters: Jack Taylor)<\/p>\n

Australia’s High Commissioner to the UK, Stephen Smith, said the monarch’s attendance was a symbol of profound respect for Anangu.<\/p>\n

“When the king engages in anniversary events, normally the palace looks at 50 or 100 year anniversaries,” Mr Smith said.<\/p>\n

“So the fact that we’re doing this on the 40th anniversary tells you this was something special.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Stephen Smith said the monarch’s attendance was a symbol of profound respect for Anangu. (Reuters: Jack Taylor)<\/p>\n

The long road to the handback<\/p>\n

The first step towards the handback was taken in 1976, when the Australian government passed the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act.<\/p>\n

For the first time Indigenous Australians had a legal pathway to claim land where traditional ownership could be proven.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The first step towards the handback was taken in 1976. (Reuters: Stefica Bikes)<\/p>\n

Nine years later the Hawke government handed back the title deeds for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.<\/p>\n

Hundreds gathered to watch the ceremony in front of Uluru.<\/p>\n

“For all Aboriginal people right around Australia, a very important day,” the event’s emcee told the cheering crowd.<\/p>\n

But not everyone was so enthusiastic.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

King Charles met with Uluru-Kata Tjuta’s traditional owners, who hope there might be another royal visit to Australia on the cards. (Supplied: Mark Hilton)<\/p>\n

The NT’s then-leader Ian Tuxsworth campaigned against the handback and unsuccessfully demanded that the Commonwealth hand Uluru to the Territory government.<\/p>\n

Then-federal opposition leader John Howard suggested there could be a need to buy it back in the future.<\/p>\n

Neither proposal was successful.<\/p>\n

The dissenters have long fallen silent and traditional ownership has flourished.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

King Charles joined guests to watch a traditional performance at the Australian High Commission in London. (Reuters: Jack Taylor)<\/p>\n

“Our vision for the national park is that it is a place where Tjukurpa \u2013 A\u1e49angu law and culture \u2013 can be kept strong for future generations,” said Tapaya Edwards, chair of the Ulu\u1e5fu-Kata Tju\u1e6fa National Park’s board of management.<\/p>\n

“There is still much work to be done and, over the next 40 years, we look forward to seeing our young people carry this flame forward as they learn A\u1e49angu traditional knowledge and Western knowledge to care for country and keep Tjukurpa strong.”<\/p>\n

Rumours of a royal return<\/p>\n

The traditional owners, who are preparing to make the long trip back to Australia, say they hope there will be a royal return to Uluru.<\/p>\n

King Charles visited the National Park in 1983, before the handover, followed by Prince William and Princess Catherine in 2014.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Nine Anangu met with King Charles at Australia House. (Supplied: Mark Hilton)<\/p>\n

The Anangu delegation in London remembered the latter trip fondly.<\/p>\n

“Sammy actually took Kate and William on a tour in the previous years when they visited last time at Uluru,” Mr Wilson said.<\/p>\n

“Sammy spoke to him [Prince William] and said, ‘Would you like to come back in the future?’ And he said, ‘I will come back.’ And now he’s coming back, I reckon.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Princess Catherine and Prince William visited Uluru in 2014. (Reuters: Phil Noble)<\/p>\n

The comments come amid growing rumours of a royal tour of Australia.<\/p>\n

“That would be a matter for the palace and a matter for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet,” Mr Smith said with a smile.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the Anangu will return home for the anniversary, where the prime minister will join them for celebrations on country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"King Charles has marked a major Aboriginal land rights milestone alongside Uluru-Kata Tjuta’s traditional owners. He attended a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[165672,26257,165669,165673,7709,7730,7731,165670,165671,1760,7710,519,26372,165675,165666,165667,165668,165674],"class_list":{"0":"post-505472","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-aangu","9":"tag-anthony-albanese","10":"tag-australia-house","11":"tag-australian-high-commissioner-to-the-united-kingdom","12":"tag-british-royal-family","13":"tag-charles","14":"tag-charles-iii","15":"tag-eunice-woods","16":"tag-fitch-and-mcandrew","17":"tag-king-charles","18":"tag-royal-families","19":"tag-royal-family","20":"tag-stephen-smith","21":"tag-tapaya-edwards","22":"tag-uluru","23":"tag-uluru-handback","24":"tag-uluu-kata-tjua","25":"tag-uluu-kata-tjua-national-parks"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115386676680590474","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}