The Sydney Morning Herald Tributes to 'great white warrior' Date: 22/10/99 By MARGO KINGSTON Politicians across the spectrum, judges and Aboriginal leaders paid tribute to Melbourne QC Mr Ron Castan, who died suddenly yesterday aged 59. Mr Castan's vision for native title saw him spend 10 years fighting the Mabo case through to the High Court, with the result that Aboriginal land rights received legal recognition for the first time. He spent much of his life fighting for native title and against racism through the legal system - mostly free of charge - after appearing in a land dispute in Papua New Guinea as a young barrister. A Federal Court Judge, Justice Ron Merkel, a lifelong friend, said yesterday that Mr Castan's commitment to justice for Aboriginal people had "resulted in a legacy that has significantly contributed to Australia's maturity as a nation". "Mabo was a long-term vision of Ron's ... that came to fruition in Mabo," he said. Mr Castan advised the Labor Party throughout the Mabo and Wik debates in Federal Parliament, and came up with the solution to the major impasse to its passage in the Senate which was adopted by Senator Brian Harradine in the Wik settlement. Sydney QC Mr John Basten said that "in his pursuit of social justice, especially for indigenous Australians, he was an invaluable contact between politicians, powerful business interests and Aboriginal leaders". Democrats Senator Aden Ridgeway described Mr Castan as "a great white warrior who fought for indigenous people and for the human rights of all Australians". There was also praise from the Attorney-General, Mr Williams, and the the Opposition Leader, Mr Beazley. This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited. ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
