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Aborigines' international hero unites warring parties

By Debra Jopson

10 August 2001 - "Jack Beetson fights for the stolen generations," says the TV clip to be shown around the world about the Aboriginal leader the United Nations has named as one of only 12 Unsung Heroes.

There are scenes of children in institutions and of "Sorry" written in the Sydney sky.

As the clip was shown for the first time in Australia at what doubled as a UN award ceremony for Mr Beetson in Sydney yesterday, he thought it "an absolute irony" that the same government that has denied the existence of the stolen generations had sent him a flattering message of support.

The Federal Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Mr Ruddock, said Mr Beetson's work as chief executive of Sydney's Tranby Aboriginal College and as a host of cross-cultural workshops at his Linga Longa Philosophy Farm near Port Macquarie was "an excellent example of dialogue".

Mr Beetson, one of the "official faces" of this year's UN Year for Dialogue among Civilisations, said he hoped Mr Ruddock's sentiments would turn into true dialogue.

He was pleased the public service announcement to be shown around the world featured his support for the stolen generations. "It's something that's near and dear to my heart, because my wife [Shani] is a product of that - and her father and her granny."

He hoped the publicity generated by his TV clip - which also refers to Aborigines struggling to reclaim their land and cultural identity - would lead the Federal Government to proper negotiation with indigenous people.

"Australian governments are very nervous about international attention. They don't like it."

As the UN honoured him for his work "in building bridges of understanding", the Senate and NSW Parliament expressed bipartisan support for him. The NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Dr Refshauge, said: "Jack has been able to bring the warring parties together."

But after the ceremony Mr Beetson said the Federal Government had done everything it could to derail reconciliation.

He described indigenous leadership as visionary and full of integrity, but non-indigenous leadership as bereft. "I think that maybe the next major contribution indigenous people make to the national character of this country is that example of our leadership.''

In the case of the sexual allegations surrounding leaders Mr Geoff Clark and Terry O'Shane, politicians and the media had "taken allegations and turned them into facts". It should not stop people seeing what indigenous leaders had to offer.

Mr Beetson said his 79-year-old mother, who "has no memory", would "have been proud of the young bloke who was kicked out of school [at 13]".

The UN Human Rights Commissioner, Ms Mary Robinson, has announced a new position of indigenous rapporteur. The first will be Mexico's Mr Rodolfo Stavenhagen.

Clip from the Sydney Morning Herald

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