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| home | news lAboriginal Elders to Speak in Hiroshima and NagasakiBy nat There are many nuclear connections between Australia and Japan. Both countries have experienced the devastation of atomic bombs, and Australia currently exports one third of its uranium to Japan to power 53 nuclear reactors. The Aboriginal Elders have travelled to Japan to share the stories and experiences of their people and to call for an end to the nuclear cycle, beginning with mining of uranium in Australia. Speedy and Kevin have joined participants in the International Peace Pilgrimage walk that began at Roxby Downs uranium mine, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and sacred site for the Arabunna people. “Our people have suffered atomic testing, our country is being poisoned by uranium mining and our sacred uranium is being used to poison Japanese people everyday.. Stop the use of uranium in wars. Stop the wars and make peace. We are calling on all governments to fully support us in this event and to join in and be part of this peaceful movement to stop this unnatural destruction. Nobody and no Country deserves this harsh treatment. We deserve the good way, the peace way. No more destruction. That's the message: Leave it! The Country is too old to be mucked around” Stated Kevin Buzzacott, Added Speedy McGinness “ It was uranium from my father`s country that was used in the bomb they exploded at Maralinga in South Australia. The government stole the uranium, then tested it on Aboriginal people without warning. Neither the mine site, nor the test site have ever been cleaned up and many people are sick because of it.. I call on all four colours of the world, black, white, red and yellow to come together, stop the nuclear cycle and decide how to deal with the nuclear waste so the land is safe for our children to live on” Speaking engagements for Kevin Buzzacott and Speedy McGinness include
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6 August 2004 - Uncle Speedy McGinness, Kungarakan/Gurindji elder (Northern Territory) and Uncle Kevin Buzzacott, Arabunna Elder (South Australia) have begun a week long speaking tour and cultural exchange in Japan. The visit coincides with the 59th anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and both elders will be addressing the impacts of the nuclear industry in Australia and calling for a united effort to create a nuclear free future worldwide.
