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MEDIA ALERT
From The Keepers Of Lake Eyre, Australia 21st August
�WALKING THE LAND
FOR OUR ANCIENT RIGHT�
NOW AT THE CANBERRA
ABORIGINAL TENT EMBASSY
ARRIVING AT THE SYDNEY OLYMPICS ON THE 31ST OF AUGUST
On the 10th June this year, Aboriginal people
gathered from all over Australia on Arabunna land at
the southern shore of Lake Eyre in South Australia, to
launch the 3000 Km Peace Walk to the Sydney Olympics:
�Walking the Land for Our Ancient Right�.
Kevin Buzzacott Arabunna elder, leader and
peace-maker is leading the walk says: "This historic
walk is a journey for peace, freedom and healing the
land and its peoples. We walk for the sovereign rights
of Aboriginal peoples to our lands and our culture. We
are walking in honour and respect for our ancient
rights and law-ways, for freedom and our obligation as
carers for our country."
Sacred peace fire ashes from the Canberra Aboriginal
Tent Embassy, and from other Aboriginal nations
around the country were added to the sacred fire as a
part of the ceremony at Lake Eyre Going Home Camp for
the beginning of the walk.
The Going Home camp was established to bring the
Arabunna back to their homeland as they have steadily
been forced off their land since colonisation.
"�.. Arabunna are Going Home, for our responsibilities
and obligations to stop the biggest threat to our
country -(WMC) Western Mining Corporation�s
development of Roxby Downs Uranium Mine at Olympic Dam
and the threat of radioactive waste dumping by the
Federal Government." Kevin Buzzacott
WMC are licensed to extract 42 million litres of water
a day from the Great Artesian Basin , one of the
worlds largest freshwater aquifers, to be used for the
extraction of uranium and copper at Olympic Dam. The
mound springs, up-wellings of 2 million year old fresh
water are drying up because of the water pressure
drop as a result of WMC� s water mining. These
springs hold immense cultural, ecological and
spiritual significance to the Arabunna.
"The message simply is; Leave Old Lake Eyre and the
waterways alone; No more destruction. That�s the
message; Leave it ! The country is too old to be
mucked around." Kevin Buzzacott.
"Under the ancient law which goes back to the
beginning , the creation of life in Australia , I have
cultural obligations and responsibilities to protect
my ancient land from being destroyed and to protect my
people from becoming extinct" Kevin Buzzacott
Kevin claims the damage is "causing serious mental
harm to members of the Arabunna people; and
deliberately inflicting on them conditions of life
calculated to bring about their physical destruction,
in whole or in part" (Article 2, Genocide Convention
Act, 1949, Australian Federal Parliament.)
Court proceedings were launched against Hugh Morgan
the managing Director of WMC for genocide on Arabunna
People. Proceedings have also been taken against
Robert Hill (Federal Environment minister) and
Alexander Downer (Federal Foreign Affairs Minister),
and the Commonwealth Government for failing to
finalise plans to nominate the Lake Eyre Basin for
World Heritage. "This is another act of genocide
against Arabunna, and has allowed WMC�s destruction to
continue and made possible the proposal to locate the
National Radioactive Waste Dump in the area" Kevin
Buzzacott.
From Lake Eyre the walk has journeyed through the
traditional homelands of many Aboriginal nations.
Joined and guided by local traditional custodians they
are following a route determined by the ancient
songlines. At towns and communities on the way the
walkers are sharing their stories and songs with
indigenous and non-indigenous Australians and are
gathering solidarity and awareness to continue to
spread the message of peace and healing for the land
and its� people. Elder Kevin Buzzacott is carrying the
sacred fire every step of the journey to the Olympics,
" a ritual endlessly more powerful than the Olympic
gas light torch" William Taylor
Over 100 people, indigenous and non-indigenous
Australians have joined the walk and a strong
cross-cultural alliance has been formed.
An Adnyamathanha elder said "This is reconciliation in
progress, what you guys are doing, you are listening
to us and we are listening to you. We are sharing our
cultures"
"We are walking the land for several reasons" says Ben
who was on the walk, "To tell the world about the
ecocide and genocide that is happenning not just on
Arabunna, Kokataha and Adnyamathanha land but all over
Australia; walking in peace to demand an end to this
goverments institutionalised racism and genocidal war
against the indigenous people of this country which
started with Terra-Nullis 212 years ago; walking in
peace and conducting ceremony to heal this damaged
land and to heal ourselves, each other and all
Australians; its a journey to build solidarity between
the many Aboriginal Nations, and between Whitefellas
and Blackfellas, to realise and spread the word that
Aboriginal Sovereignty is a right that has never been
ceeded."
Says Kevin Buzzacott, "the sacred fire symbolises
peace, warm hearts and minds, sharing, and the healing
of sorrow. It burns with ashes from the first
Aboriginal Tent Embassy fire in Canberra and holds the
ashes of our leaders now passed away. People have
brought ashes, sticks and water from special places to
join with the fire and water from the old Lake on its
way to Sydney and the sea. The time is right, the old
people are with us. The old land is calling, and the
call is to join the walk for peace."
The Peace Walk has chosen the Sydney Olympics because
the Olympics is the time that Australia will be cast
into the international spotlight; it is hoped that
this can be a platform for Aboriginal people to
highlight their plight for self determination. It is
also significant because Sydney is where the first
fleet landed and the beginning of English
Colonisation.
"Sydney is the important place because that is the
place where the boats first came. That is where the
poison�.. came over 212 years ago so that is where the
healing and the blessing has to start from�. This is
what has been pulling me to go there." Kevin
Buzzacott
The walk will arrive at the Canberra Aboriginal Tent
Embassy where it has been for 28 years outside the Old
Parliament House on the 21st of August. The Embassy is
the spearhead of the Sovereignty movement for freedom
and peace. It disputes the authority of the Crowns�
claim to Sovereignty over the lands and peoples of the
Sovereign Aboriginal Nations. As of the 14th July,
Issabel Coe, a veteran and elder of the Aboriginal
Tent Embassy in Canberra established an off shoot of
the Embassy, in Victoria Park,Sydney. It will be
used to inform visitors and the media during the
Olympics about the suppression of Indigenous rights by
past and
present governments.
"The Aboriginal Tent Embassy has been set up to
assert Aboriginal Sovereignty and in particular
highlight how the Aboriginal people are regarded as
"aliens" in our own land. We call upon the Australian
community to respect our universal right to life."
Isabel Coe
On the 26th of August the walkers leave Canberra to
continue on their way to the Sydney Olympics where
they will be arriving on the 31st of August. It is
hoped there will be an opportunity for ceremony and
peace talks:"It doesn�t end there, the other thing is
actually starting off the peace talks, getting people
around our sacred peace fire, having a yarn and
working out how to actually begin the healing process,
as soon as we can." Kevin Buzzacott.
We urge all journalists and media to make immediate
contact and join the walk as it journeys into Sydney.
This is real reconciliation in progress. We need your
help to spread the voice of real Aboriginal
Australia around the world, so that their social
justice, freedom and peace can be won.
0417 838 906: To contact Kevin Buzzacott
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] to
email the Peace Walk
http://www.come.to/lakeeyre The Arabunna-Keepers Of
Lake Eyre website for more information about the Peace
Walk, the genocide/ecocide/WMC/uranium issues
http://www.sea-us.org.au For detailed information
about the mound-springs/uranium-mining/ecological
issues
http://www.skynet.net.au/~jomal/kole For Peace Walk
and Arabunna Going Home Camp photographs
For donations: Account Number: 5112 1008 2328
Commonwealth Bank Account name: Keepers of Lake Eyre
http://www.aboriginaltentembassy.com For news and
information about the Aboriginal tent Embassy. If you
are having difficulty accessing this site it can be
gained through http://www.samcentre.org
http://www.freac.gibsonnet.net Flinders Ranges
Environmental Action Collective web site; press
releases; photos
http://www.indigenous.gibsonnet.net/Indigsite.htm web
site index of continuing indigenous struggles accross
Australia
http://www.isnt.com.au/beverley/pics.htm Pictures of
police/STAR Force brutality at Beverley uranium mine
For up to date real news and the truth contact these
alternative media sites:
http://www.sydney.indymedia.org
http://www.realgames.org
http://www.samcentre.org
http://www.active.org.au/sydney
http://www.accessnews.skatv.org.au
http://www.s11.org
http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org
For linked articles on the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and
the police/military controls click on the following:
� Aboriginal Tent Embassy �Peace Camp" - Coe calls for
Public Tribunal.
Aboriginal leader Isabel Coe declared the Aboriginal
Tent Embassy in Sydney�s Victoria Park a "Peace Camp"
and invited peacekeppers from around Australia and
around the World to join the camp in an attempt to
stop the Australian governements �war against
Aboriginal people". She also announced the Embassy�s
intention to hold a public tribunal on the
governements treatment of aborigines.
http://www.sydney.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=148
� Council underestimates support of Sydney Aboriginal
Tent Embassy
By Patrick Dupont 20 Aug
http://www.sydney.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=199
� New Martial Law comes Armed and Dangerous
Proposed powers for the military could be mobilised
against ordinary civilians with orders to shoot to
kill, writes Senator Bob Brown
http://www.realgames.org/index_frameset.html
� The SOCOG Follies
By Ray Jackson. On 6th March I was invited to attend a
meeting along with 4 other indigenous people, to meet
with representatives of SOCOG security at their
security bunker�
http://www.realgames.org/newsmedia/articles/st_0006_socog_follies.html
� No Mining Picture by Aynta and Sam
http://www.sydney.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=196
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