Greens candidate Major “Moogy” Sumner to contest Mayo by-election

A “WILDCARD” Greens candidate for Mayo is set to shake up the current two-horse race.

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A “WILDCARD” Greens candidate for Mayo is set to shake up the two-horse race.

Major “Moogy” Sumner is a high-profile Ngarrindjeri elder known throughout SA for his community work, his smoking and welcome ceremonies, and his fight to repatriate the remains of Aboriginal people from overseas.

Major Sumner’s traditional lands cover the Coorong, the Lower Lakes and the Murray Mouth and the Greens are determined to make wrangling over the Murray a central issue at the Mayo by-election.

MAYO CANDIDATE: Sarah Hanson-Young with Major Sumner. Picture: CALUM ROBERTSON

The by-election has been forced by Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie’s resignation over dual citizenship.

Her Liberal challenger is Georgina Downer, daughter of former foreign affairs minister and Mayo MP Alexander Downer.

Greens preferences are likely to benefit Ms Sharkie — although the party only polled 8 per cent at the last election, they polled 21.4 per cent in 2008 with the Murray as a central issue. It is not clear yet if Labor will run a candidate.

Major Sumner grew up on the Raukkan Mission on Lake Alexandrina, but now lives in Findon.

He said he wanted to heal the water, rivers, and the lakes.

“I want to be in with the Greens because they’ve been doing the same stuff as I’ve been doing, and my people have been doing for thousands and thousands of years — looking after the land,” he said.

“I’ve been sitting back for a long time, watching. Aboriginal people are very patient people. We take notice of the land, the animals, the plants.”

SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said he was a “wildcard” and that the Greens were excited to have someone who deeply understands the area and whose people have looked after it for thousands of years.