78'er Robert Harvey reflects on how far Australia has come since first Sydney Mardi Gras

The Tamworth resident watched as Australia made strides in LGBTIQA+ rights, including the decriminalisation of LGBTIQA+, marriage equality, and the recent historic banning of gay conversion therapy in NSW.

And although massive steps have been taken, Mr Harvey says we cannot become complacent.

"There are still issues out there, like the treatment of gay, lesbian, and transgender children and teachers in private schools," he said.

Mr Harvey also highlighted issues surrounding the number of unsolved gay hate crimes, transgender rights, and Labor needs to make moves on amending the sex discrimination bill.

The friction between the police and the LGBTIQA+ community must also be addressed.

He said the conversation about the police is deeper than just whether or not they should march in Sydney Mardi Gras.

"One of the overriding issues is the investigation into the gay hate crimes inquiry that wrapped up in December," he said.

"These gay men went missing, deaths occurred from the 1970s to 2010, and the police quite often dismissed them, saying, 'Oh, no, that couldn't be a gay hate crime. The person had suicidal tendencies or something else happened'."

"When the commissioners put forth recommendations, the police were quite obstructive. They used the argument that they were unable to provide resources to investigate as they were overwhelmed by current crimes."

"The commissioner regretted this argument."

Mr Harvey acknowledges there needs to be an ongoing relationship between the two bodies but says the police have to understand the needs of the community.

Looking to the future, he said LGBTIQA+ groups need to know how important it is to "retain our fundamental rights."

Mr Harvey, more commonly known as Bob, moved to Sydney as a fresh-faced 19-year-old to start a chartered accounting course.

He dropped out soon after, but it began his journey towards the first Mardi Gras.

"When I was there in 1973, I came across, unexpectedly, a gay and lesbian march," he said.

"I didn't know what it was; it started from Town Hall to Martin Place. I was working at the time and had a tie and shirt, looking all prim and proper, like the accountant type and I thought, 'What is going on here?'"

He jumped into his very first march after removing his tie and changing up his appearance.

"Once it got to Martin Place, I jumped out because I didn't want anyone to see me," he said.

From that moment on, Mr Harvey became a familiar face at gay and lesbian rights marches.

In the 70s, the queer community was far from underground; it could be found throughout the bars and clubs of Oxford Street - also known as the Golden Mile.

"Oxford Street gave the individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community a sense of support, a place they could go out, enjoy, and have fun," he said.

The first Sydney Mardi Gras in 1978 kicked off the national gay and lesbian rights movement, which has been described as the Aussie version of America's Stonewall.

Mr Harvey said a letter between prominent activists was the spark that lit the fire.

"A San Francisco activist wrote a letter to her counterparts, Ken Davis and Anne Talve, Sydney-based gay activists, about gay San Francisco Freedom Day and holding a march in support," he said.

"They wanted support in their fight to oppose the Briggs Initiative, which outlawed any teachers or students who said anything about gays or lesbians on school grounds."

Mr Harvey said Ken and many other activists worked to bring all LGBTIQA+ groups together.

"Some were very Marxist, some were very Christian, and some were in the middle. And they came together to form a group called Gay Solidarity," he said.

"They decided on that day to have a morning march from Town Hall to Martin Place in support of this. Then there was a conference with prominent gay activists from around the world at Paddington Hall."

Later, Ron Austin from Campaign Against Moral Persecution (C.A.M.P) proposed the idea of an apolitical night parade, and there was a lot of debate about whether it should go ahead or not.

It later decided it would; Margaret McMahon dubbed it Mardi Gras.

Mr Harvey sees himself as a "foot-soldier for the cause."

"You need a lot of foot soldiers," he said.

"If you are going to have any protests or demonstrations, the more people you have turn up, the more visibility you have."

The group assembled at the top of Taylor Square on a chilly night on June 24, 1978, with a loud speaker attached to a utility truck leading the crowd.

"The two songs, Tom Robinson's, Glad to Be Gay, and An Ode to a Gym Teacher, were played on repeat," he said.

The permit only allowed them to march from Taylor Square down to Hyde Park.

"We were marching, chanting, 'Out of bars and into the streets and stop police attacks on gays, women, and blacks'," Mr Harvey said.

The marchers had reached Hyde Park, an altercation occurred and the police confiscated the vehicle.

They then decided to head up William Street towards Kings Cross. By then, their ranks had grown to 2000 people.

Walking past the huge Coca-Cola sign and down towards El Alamein Fountain, the situation began to escalate.

"Police paddy wagons were waiting for us up at the top of Kings Cross, where they started to grab people and throw them into paddy wagons," Mr Harvey said.

"We had support from Kings Cross drag queens shouting and throwing down dustbins."

The police blocked all the exits, "we were trapped."

"I was fortunate at the El-Alamein Fountain that I stepped aside when I could have been grabbed, I was quite close to where a lot of people were grabbed," Mr Harvey said.

Mr Harvey said he expected arrests, but he did not expect violence.

Fifty-three people were taken into custody and many were "brutally bashed" at Darlinghurst police station.

"We could hear the screams," Mr Harvey said. "I remember being there at 3:30am in the morning helping others to arrange bail money."

Mr Harvey said the 78'ers have laid the groundwork for the cause, but as they age, they need younger people to take up the fight.