Archie Barton facts for kids

Dr Archie Barton (March 1936 – 18 October 2008) was an important Aboriginal Australian leader. He worked hard to get land rights and fair treatment for the Maralinga Tjarutja people. He fought for their rights against the Australian and British governments. Archie Barton played a key role in helping the Maralinga people get their traditional lands back. This happened after many years of campaigning, following British nuclear weapon tests on their land.

Archie Barton's Early Life

Archie Barton was born in South Australia in March 1936. The exact date of his birth is not known. He was born at a small railway stop called Barton Siding. This place was about 80 kilometers east of Ooldea. His mother was a Pitjantjatjara woman from the Maralinga lands. Archie never knew his father, who is thought to have been a railway worker. He got the name "Barton" from the siding where he was born. Archie spent his early childhood with his mother at Ooldea. At that time, Ooldea was a mission station for Aboriginal people.

When Archie was five years old, he was taken from his mother. This was part of a sad time in Australian history known as the Stolen Generations. Many Aboriginal children were taken from their families by the government or church missions. Archie was placed in a children's home in Port Augusta run by a Christian group. He never saw his mother again after that day.

He stayed at the children's home until he was 12. After that, he worked on farms. Later, he had many jobs as a laborer, including working on the railway. In his twenties, Archie moved to Adelaide. There, he worked digging trenches for a gas company.

Fighting for Maralinga Land Rights

In the 1950s and 1960s, the British government tested nuclear weapons in central South Australia. These tests happened at the Woomera Test Range. The first two bombs were exploded at Emu Field in 1953. More big tests took place at Maralinga in 1956 and 1957. Many smaller tests continued until 1963.

Maralinga was the traditional land of Archie Barton's mother and the Maralinga Tjarutja people. Most Aboriginal families living there were forced to leave before the tests began. They were moved to government-built Aboriginal missions and settlements. One of these settlements was Yalata, located far to the south. The community from Ooldea was moved there in 1952.

In 1981, Archie Barton became a community adviser for Yalata. Four years later, in January 1985, the South Australian government gave the native title of the Maralinga Tjarutja lands back to its people. Archie Barton was chosen to lead the new Maralinga Land Rights Council. However, the land was still contaminated (poisoned) from the nuclear waste. It was not safe for people to live on.

As the leader, Archie Barton guided the Maralinga people in their fight. They wanted the land to be cleaned up and made safe again. He spoke for his people in many important meetings and investigations. These took place in both Canberra, Australia, and London, England. The Australian government held a special investigation called the McClelland Royal Commission. Archie Barton helped provide important information for this commission.

In 1995, the Australian government paid the Maralinga community AU$13.5 million as a form of compensation. Archie Barton and two respected elders traveled to London in 1991 and 1992. They met with British government leaders. Archie Barton even showed them two bags of soil from Maralinga that were still poisoned with plutonium.

Cleaning up the land was very expensive, costing over AU$100 million. It took several years for the British government to agree to pay their share, which was about £20 million. The main clean-up work finished in 2000. However, the exact test sites will remain dangerous for many thousands of years.

Later Life and Legacy

Archie Barton served as the administrator of the Maralinga Land Rights Council for 20 years, from 1985 to 2005. He stepped down from this important role in 2005.

Archie Barton passed away on 18 October 2008, in Ceduna. He was buried at Oak Valley. This is a new settlement built near Maralinga, where the traditional owners returned to their lands. Archie did not have his own children. However, he cared for the children and grandchildren of his long-term partner, Mary Harrison.

Recognition and Awards

Archie Barton received many honors for his hard work.

• In 1988, he was named the South Australian Aboriginal of the Year.
• In 1989, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia. This is a high honor in Australia.
• In 1996, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Adelaide.

In 2001, he became one of the first members of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. He also served on the National Indigenous Council from 2004 to 2005. In addition, he was a director of Imparja Television. This is a national Aboriginal broadcasting network.

See also

In Spanish: Archie Barton para niños