This video goes for 8:35 and is the most holistic account of the tour in under 10 minutes. 

Write down five facts from the 1971 Springbok tour of Australia while watching this video.

The 1971 South Africa rugby union tour of Australia was a controversial six-week rugby union tour by the Springboks to Australia. 

Anti-apartheid protests happened all around the country. People rejected the fact that a country that supported racism could be allowed to showcase themselves in Australia and attempted to cancel the games.

The protests were partially fuelled by Indigenous rights events over the last few decades. Australia was becoming more aware of acknowledging its racist past. Many Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians gave their support to the protests.

The 1971 Springbok tour was other event that prompted Australian society to look at itself and recognise the racism in their own country. 

Australia’s actions and policies in regard to its Indigenous people also came under scrutiny in the wake of the anti-apartheid demonstrations. 

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa from 1948 to the early 1990's.

The SA team was forced to travel in small planes by regional carriers after Qantas refused to carry them. 

In Canberra the players had to be privately billeted after protesters discovered where they were going to stay at the Commodore Motel.

A 2 metre high fence was built around the boundary at Manuka Oval. 

Bags of sand were placed over large gratings and smaller gratings welded into place so they couldn’t be used as weapons. 

Liquor, soft drink cans and bottles were banned from the grounds. Spectators could be searched by police during entry. They made 49 arrests. 

With the protests in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, the premier of QLD declared a month-long State of Emergency and called in extra police from around Queensland when the team visited Brisbane. 

To put that in perspective, the last time we have a State of Emergency was during Covid. 

No one could leave their home for recreation 22 July and 4 August.

As police prepared for the game on the 24th of July, they used the Enoggera Army Barracks radio communications, training, accommodation and meals. During the game/protests, they could only use handcuffs and batons, no firearms were allowed. 

Protesters still attended the game and eventually found where the SA team were staying. They formed a protest outside the team's hotel and clashed with police. 

In this source, Foley explains his surprise when he heard about the anti-apartheid movement in Australia.

Read the source before answering the questions below.

1 - Why was Foley surprised by the anti-apartheid movement in Australia when the Springboks toured Australia?

2 - What event does Foley reference to account for people opposing apartheid?

3 - What does Foley say about the lack of action against racism in Australia?

In this source, Foley explains how he and fellow activist Billy Craigie wore South African jerseys to the South African team's hotel.

Read the source before answering the questions below.

1 - Who was Jim Boyce? What did he give to Foley and Billy Craigie?

2 - How did Jim Boyce get them?

3 - What did Jim Boyce tell Foley and Craigie to do?

4 - Where did they wear the jerseys and in front of who?

5 - Why did the South African players think Foley and Craigie must have stolen the SA jerseys?

6 - What did Foley say would have happened if the police didn't arrive?

7 - What did events like these draw attention to?

In this source, Foley the thoughts of fellow Black Power member Paul Coe and Charlie Perkins, who attended the game in Canberra.

1 - What did Coe say was the best thing that's happened in Australia in a long time and why?

2 - Who attended the game in Canberra? What happened to him there?

3 - What did Perkins say about this event in a letter?

4 - Why is this source useful for understanding the history or racism and First Nations rights in Australia?

This source is a collection of letters various individuals wrote to The Canberra Times regarding the Springbok Tour. That's why it's called Letters to the Editor. 

The questions are organised into the letters/authors they belong to. Read each letter in full before answering the question.

The first letter was from John Douglas (The Rev)

1 - What game did Douglas go to and why?

2 - What did Douglas say about the police in Canberra?

3 - How many people did they arrest?

4 - According to Douglas, how many of those people actually deserved to be arrested?

5 - What did Douglas say regarding giving increased powers to police?

6 - What is Douglas' letter useful for regarding the 1971 Springbok Tour?

The second letter was from Anthony D'Andria

7 - What was the topic of D'Andria's letter?

8 - What religion was D'Andria a part of?

9 - What was the racist thing his priest said? Why is this racist?

The third letter was from Dorothy Bennett

10 - How can you tell Bennett is part of the anti-apatheid movement in Australia? Use three pieces of evidence from the source to justify your answer. 

The fourth letter was from Mark Cunliffe

11 - What do we learn about Archbishop Cahill's original letter he sent to the priests in his priests?

12 - Why did Cunliffe speculate Christ's opinion of apartheid?

The fifth letter is from six university students from the Australian National University

13 - Who was the intended audience of this letter? 

14 - Why is it so sarcastic?

The topics of the other letters are teacher shortages, building planes, pets and empty buses, but you don't have to read them.