Kevin Buzzacott (b 1947), Aboriginal elder of the Arabunna nation and a highly valued supporter of West Papua’s independence, died on 29 November 2023, and was buried in Alice Springs on 22nd December 2023.
The following is a record of his moral support and activism for what he insisted was Australia’s ‘responsibility to care for our brothers and sisters from across the water.’ (Beneath the 8 slides is a downloadable PDF).
Salute to Kevin Buzzacott from West Papua (PDF)
Kevin Buzzacott, A life well lived, with border
Image: In 2002, activists from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, led by Arabunna man Uncle Kevin Buzzacott reclaimed the kangaroo and emu from Old Parliament House in Canberra. Uncle Kevin stated that the emu and kangaroo were part of our dreaming, our totems and had been stolen by the crown and misappropriated as a symbol of foreign sovereignty. When Uncle Kevin was charged with theft by the Australian Federal Police he pleaded no jurisdiction and charged the Australian government with theft. The case elevated through the court system to the High Court where it found they could not determine any matter of Aboriginal sovereignty in Australia, it must go to an international court as the Australian court system are agents of the Crown and in direct conflict with the notion of Aboriginal sovereignty (Echo, 14 September 2023, https://www.echo.net.au/2023/09/the-moment-we-can-change-the-course-of-history/)
