Eddie Mabo used to tell his daughter his name would become known to the world. And 25 years ago, his battle for justice did just that.
On June 3, 1992, the High Court handed down its decision in the Mabo case, overturning 200 years of the common law assumption of terra nullius - the idea that Australia belonged to nobody when European settlers arrived.
Mr Mabo, who dedicated his life to winning the land rights to his and his ancestors' home of Murray Island, never witnessed the historic ruling, having died five months earlier in January 1992.
"He said, when I was 15, that one day all of Australia would know his name because of what he was doing - and I thought he was crazy," his daughter Gail Mabo told ABC on Saturday.
"I wanted my dad to be around to actually reap the benefits of what he'd done but because he wasn't there, I cried and I looked to the heavens and I said: 'Dad, you did it. You won and yes, all of Australia now knows your name'."
Mabo: Life Of An Island Man
Ms Mabo remembers discussing the topic of land rights around the dinner table growing up, with her father always encouraging the family to watch the issues unfold on the news.
"He wanted us to know that when it did happen, it would be beneficial for Indigenous Australia," Ms Mabo said, adding that more needed to be done.
She urged governments to "listen to the voices of the masses" and spend more time talking with Indigenous communities.
"It's through those smaller, baby steps, we can actually make a change," she said.
"Then we'll all come together to actually try and mould ourselves into one instead of being many in a small box, trying to fight for our own space.
"It is not a quick-fix moment."
The 25th anniversary of the judgement was commemorated in Townsville on Saturday with artists including Australian musician and activist John Butler travelling from a far to commemorate the anniversary.
"Townsville needs to celebrate this. They need to celebrate the local hero," she said.
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