BY FEDERICO FUENTES
PERTH — The fight for Aboriginal rights, and for a better world, received a blow on November 26, with the passing away of Yaluritja Clarrie Isaacs.
Clarrie, an Aboriginal activist, trade unionist, artist and fighter for social justice, died suddenly in his sleep at the age of 55. His memory will live on, however, with anyone who ever met him.
Clarrie led an amazing life, and was never short of a story to tell about it. He was perhaps Perth's most well-known Aboriginal activist. A tireless fighter for the rights of his people, he campaigned for over 14 years against the Swan Brewery redevelopment in Perth, which was built on sacred Aboriginal land.
He was well respected among his own community, for both his defence of Aboriginal rights and because he helped out in any way he could. He took the issue of Aboriginal rights to the international scene, addressing United Nations conferences on racism as the president of the Aboriginal Government of Australia. In 1988, he joined a delegation to Libya led by Tasmanian activist Michael Mansell where they met with Libyan President Muammar Gaddhafi.
In 1997, at a time when Aboriginal people were under sustained verbal attack from Pauline Hanson's One Nation, and even more serious attack, via de-funding of services, from the recently elected federal Coalition government, Clarrie toured Australia as part of a "justice tour" to help build an anti-racist struggle. The tour was sponsored by Green Left Weekly.
He was an active trade unionist from 1983 to 1989 and served as a branch executive member and delegate to the state council of the Federated Miscellaneous Workers Union. He was a member of the Socialist Alliance, and in 2001 ran as the lead Senate candidate for the Socialist Alliance in Western Australia.
As a tribute to Clarrie Isaacs and his fighting spirit, friends and supporters are encouraged to meet on December 2 at the Dreaming Site of the Waugal at Goonininup (Old Swan Brewery) from 7am onwards. This was the time and place where, for many years, people could drive past and see Clarrie protesting the redevelopment.
A web site has also been set up where people can find out more about the life of this amazing person as well as post stories, testimonials and memories they have of Clarrie. The site is <http://www.west.com.au/clarrie/>.
[Next week's Green Left Weekly will carry a full obituary.]
From Green Left Weekly, December 3, 2003.
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