Gail Mabo still remembers where she was when she heard her father had won his case against the state of Queensland in Australia's High Court.
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains images and names of people who have died.
Today marks 30 years since the Mabo decision that saw the overturning of terra nullius — an expression claiming land was owned by no-one prior to white settlement.
Sitting in the car in Kempsey with her newborn son on June 3, 1992, Ms Mabo says the news broke over the radio.
"I thought, 'Did they just mention my Dad's name?' … and then I just cried," she said.
As she looked down at her son, Ms Mabo says she heard claps of thunder.
Ms Mabo says the next hurdle was making it easier for First Nations people to claim back their land.
"The Native Title Act disempowered Indigenous people more so," she said.
She also hoped her son would continue the fight for June 3 to be marked as a public holiday.
Mr Mabo fought for more than a decade but died of cancer at the age of 55, five months before the decision was handed down.
A lifetime of learning
"I remember the first time he said he was taking the government to court over land, and I'm all of 15," Ms Mabo said.
"He's trying to explain to us what the legal battle was, but it's so far from what we ever knew that we really couldn't understand."
Three decades on, Ms Mabo says it has taken time to fully understand what her father accomplished.
Ms Mabo is now sharing his legacy with her grandchildren.
"[They] are stories of a man who was a gardener, but came to achieve other things," she said.
"They need to know connection to space, connection to their land on Murray Island, and these come through stories."
Life on Mer
Torres Strait Island elder and friend of Mr Mabo, Francis Tapim, says the anniversary stands as a reminder to share their stories with the next generation.
Mr Tapim lived on Mer [Murray Island] as a child and remembers spending most of his time in a dinghy with his father.
"[My dad] showed me how to make fishing spears and showed me how to dive," he said.
When the decision was passed down in 1992, Mr Tapim says there was a feeling of pride among Meriams.
"We did turn this place, Australia and the world, upside down," he said.
High Court calls phone booth
Bryan Keon-Cohen AM CQ was a junior barrister on the case and recalled having to pass on the news of the momentous decision.
"I went upstairs to the barristers' chambers in the High Court building and rang the only phone number I knew that existed on Murray Island, which was a public phone booth outside [the council]," Dr Keon-Cohen said.
Dr Keon-Cohen says the lady on the other end of the line erupted with cries of elation.
"She dropped the phone and I just heard, 'We won, we won' and I understand the phone was left swinging in the breeze and I was left swinging with it," he said.
