Barack Obama speech: Fury as Aboriginal elder is axed from the event
Obama visit marred as Aboriginal elder is PICKED OFF from Welcome to Country as ex-president flies to Melbourne by private jet: ‘I have never been treated or spoken to in this way’
- Wurundjeri Elder Joy Murphy, 78, suspended from event
- She would perform Welcome to Country for Obama
- Organizers removed her, claiming she was “a nuisance.”
An Aboriginal elder who has welcomed the likes of Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth II and the Dalai Lama has revealed she was suspended from Barack Obama’s event in Melbourne after organizers said she was ‘too difficult’.
Wurundjeri Elder Joy Murphy, 78, was scheduled to deliver the Welcome to Country ceremony for the ex-US president’s address on Thursday night in Melbourne.
Before the event, she asked the organizers if she could bring a supporter and a cultural gift for Obama.
However, the shocked elder says she was then told she was “too difficult” by the organisers, the Growth Faculty, who had kicked her out of the event.
The spat comes as Obama and his wife Michelle arrived in Melbourne on a private jet, with the pair sipping coffee as they climbed into their motorcade.
In a statement, Aunt Joy says she has never been “treated or spoken to in this way.”
“I am shocked and saddened by the way I have been treated by event organizers,” she said.
‘I am 78 years old. I have never been treated or addressed in this way in the past.
Wurundjeri Elder Joy Murphy, 78, was to conduct the Welcome to Country ceremony for Barack Obama’s event
The argument comes as Obama and his wife Michelle arrived in Melbourne on a private jet
“I don’t want this to be a reflection of President Obama. I am a leader of the Wurundjeri Nation. I asked to be treated as an equal.’
The Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Cultural Heritage Corporation also denounced the organizers, describing their actions as “a deep insult to the Wurundjeri people and to all First Nations people.”
“Welcome to Country protocols are our traditional laws and customs that have been used for millennia to welcome and protect our guests on Wurundjeri lands,” a statement said.
“Aunt Joy Murphy has welcomed dignitaries of the highest caliber to Wurundjeri Country, including the Queen, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama.”
“She has had the honor and responsibility of welcoming people to our country as a senior Aboriginal elder of the Wurundjeri people for over 40 years.”
The former US president sat in Sydney on Tuesday with former Secretary of State Julie Bishop. Another 10,000 people are expected at his event in Melbourne on Wednesday
The Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Cultural Heritage Corporation described the incident as “a deep insult to the Wurundjeri people and to all First Nations people”
Former US President Barack Obama (center) waves to onlookers after exiting the Bathers Pavilion in Balmoral, Sydney
Daily Mail Australia has contacted The Growth Faculty for comment.
Wednesday’s speech is Obama’s second in the country, after addressing a sold-out crowd in Sydney on Tuesday night.
Those who wanted to hear Obama speak had to dig deep into their pockets for a ticket, with standard entry costing just under $200.
The event’s “Platinum Package,” which cost $895, included a welcome cocktail over an hour-long social gathering, a commemorative cord, and a signed copy of Obama’s memoir A Promised Land.
With another 10,500 to watch Obama talk at Wednesday’s Melbourne event, he could earn a salary of more than $1 million.