By Darren Cartwright
Tears welled in the eyes of former jockey Lyall Appo as he watched the Aboriginal Flag being unfurled outside the offices of Racing Queensland in Deagon.
The Indigenous hoop, and proud Wakka Wakka man, was a dignitary and guest speaker for the flag-raising ceremony on Turrbal land.
The Aboriginal flag was flanked by the Australian and Torres Strait Islander flags as it headed skywards just before midday on Wednesday as part of National Reconciliation Week.
It was a day Lyall said he would never forget and one he was proud of.
“I never thought I'd see it,” Lyall said choking back tears.
“To see the flag raised outside Racing Queensland … and to see it at Racing Queensland, I'm so proud.”
It was a moment that had drawn a mental line in the sand for Appo, the accomplished jockey who rode alongside greats such as Mel Schumacher and Graham Cook.
He had spoken before about the racial abuse he copped over the fence from spectators throughout his riding career in Queensland.
And how he dealt with the pain, often seeking solace and guidance through his mentor, Indigenous and three-time Stradbroke-winning jockey Darby McCarthy.
“I had good mentors like Darby and my uncles who taught me how to deal with those issues and my family as always taught forgiveness,” he said.
McCarthy, who was inducted into the Queensland Racing Hall of Fame in 2004, was Appo’s sounding board, confidant, and mate.
Appo said it was unfortunate that McCarthy, who died two years ago, was not here to see the Aboriginal flag take centre stage outside the offices of Racing Queensland.
“Now, I am a lot older, I have seen a lot of changes in Queensland racing,” Appo said.
“And to see the flag hoisted today, affects me inside.
“It’s taken so long to be able to see these things and Darby took it to his grave.
“I never I thought I’d see this recognition today.”
McCarthy was often the one Appo turned in times of need, not because his contemporaries ever disparaged him, but they didn’t understand how deep racial abuse could wound, he said.
“I couldn't just sit there and talk to Mick Dittman, Graham Cook and Mel Schumacher, and those blokes, about it, because they didn't understand what I was going through,” he said.
“They all treated me equally, but they didn’t understand.”
The industry has “come along” away since he first sat in a saddle in 1980 as a 15-year-old in Eidsvold, 300km northwest of Brisbane, but it’s still a work in progress, he said.
“Queensland racing has come a long way and society has come a long way,” Appo said.
“But it's not it's not something that's going to stop and heal in one day.
“This is an ongoing thing.”