Mural and film inspired by pride

For over a decade, rail commuters passing through Macdonaldtown station had a view of the mural on the side of a terrace house representing the iconic image of the black power salute on the winners’ podium at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, that the anonymous artist called “three proud people”. It has now been blocked from view by a concrete barrier recently erected by RailCorp.

Two of the proud people are the African-American gold and bronze medalists for the 200m – Tommy Smith and John Carlos – on the winners’ podium. They are shoeless in solidarity with the poor, heads bowed, each wearing a single black glove, which they raised in a black power salute during the American national anthem. The third man is the Australian silver medalist Peter Norman who showed his support for their protest by wearing the badge “Olympic Project for Human Rights”.

The view to the mural is now obscured by the barrier and to see it one has to walk up a side-lane that runs along the track.

“The mural was brought to my attention a long time ago by Peter and it was certainly something he was very proud of,” says Matt Norman. “There has been no recognition at all in this country of what he did.”

Peter Norman – who died in 2006 – was reprimanded by Australia’s Olympic authorities for his action in 1968 and was overlooked for the 1972 Olympics, despite running qualifying times. He still holds the Australian and Commonwealth records for the 200m. Although he remained active in athletics all his life, he was not invited to be involved in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 in any official capacity with other ex-Olympians. He was invited to the event as a guest by American track and field representatives.

Matt Norman says it is his sense of injustice that has driven him to make a film and a book about his uncle, and why he sees the Macdonaldtown mural as an important  recognition of his uncle’s humanitarian principles and athletic achievements.

“I believe in the stand he made and the way he has been treated has been a disgrace,” says Matt. “I made the film to give him a name instead of calling him the white guy in the black power protest. We can now say that it’s Peter Norman from Australia who is in the photo with Tommy and John.”

Matt proposes RailCorp replace the concrete wall with a clear sound barrier, as they have in Melbourne. He believes reproducing the mural somewhere else violates the authenticity of the work.

“An artist has created this picture that stands for so many things and I believe that an artist’s work should be protected. Trying to replicate this person’s work to me goes against why it was there in the first place,” he says.

Salute is now showing in cinemas.

Photo: Ali Blogg- Olympic justice statement on the wall at Macdonaldtown