- Yami Lester
Yami Lester (b. c1949), is a
Yankunytjatjara man, an Indigenous people of northernSouth Australia .In the 1950s, while still a young boy, he was blinded by a "black mist" from the south.
After the mist passed, his family's camp experienced sudden deaths, outbreaks of skin rashes,
vomiting ,diarrhoea and temporary and permanentblindness . It is generally accepted that this black mist was fallout fromBritish nuclear tests at Maralinga and Emu Junction which were taking place at that time.As a young man, he joined the
Aboriginal Advancement League inAdelaide , however, he wanted to take more direct action, in the manner ofCharles Perkins , probably the most prominent Indigenousactivist at that time.He began work for the United Mission, in
Alice Springs , as a welfare worker and interpreter for the courts. He later became involved in theInstitute of Aboriginal Development which was concerned with Aboriginal education and language. Yami took a great interest in cross-cultural issues and programs.After a position administering business affairs for the [http://waru.org/communities/mimili/ Mimili community] , Yami worked with the
Pitjantjatjara Land Council on Aboriginal lands rights issues with the South Australian Government. He worked as an organiser and interpreter assisting the handover of freehold title to theAnangu people in 1981, which came about as a result of thePitjantjatjara Land Rights Act , (SA).His most significant contribution to the rights of Aboriginal people was helping gain recognition for the atomic tests at Maralinga and an acklowledgement for the Aboriginal people who had been affected.
His actions helped lead to the
McClelland Royal Commission in 1985, which found significant radiation hazards still existed at the Maralinga test sites. Recommendations included group compensation for theMaralinga Tjarutja people and an extensive, long-term clean up operation to restore the land.ee also
*
British nuclear tests at Maralinga
*McClelland Royal Commission External links
* South Australian Government [http://www.aboriginaleducation.sa.edu.au/pages/Learners/Yami_Lester/]
* Silence and speech: remembering South Australia’s nuclear history [http://www.iratiwanti.org/print.php3?page=silence]
* Lester, Yami, "Yami: The Autobiography of Yami Lester", (Alice Springs, Jukurrpa Books, 2000, ISBN 1-86465-025-7
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