Australians against Apartheid: Hawke, Evans and Holland

The exhibition Memories of the Struggle at the Australian Museum of Democracy was launched on April 27th by former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. His description of Australia’s contribution to the demise of apartheid can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-27/bob-hawke-opens-apartheid-exhibition-in-canberra/7364762

For more details of the exhibition see: apartheid.http://moadoph.gov.au/exhibitions/memories-of-the-struggle/

Later that day at the Freedom Day reception at the South African High Commission the South African High Commissioner H.E.Sibusiso Ndebele noted that  In December, 2015, ANU  Chancellor Gareth Evans had  received a silver award of the Companions of O.R.Tambo. As Australian Foreign Minister between 1988 and 1996 Professor Evans had been a driving force in promoting financial sanctions against the apartheid regime and had been a frequent visitor to Southern Africa as apartheid crumbled.

ANU Chancellor Gareth Evans has agreed to give the inaugural ANU Anthony Low Commonwealth lecture at the ANU on the afternoon of November 17. Professor Low was famous for his  work on Africa and the Commonwealth as a historian. Given Professor Evans’s  own role on the Commonwealth Committee of Foreign Ministers on South Africa, a provisional topic would focus the Commonwealth and  the End of Apartheid.

Visiting from Zimbabwe in April were Sakia and Jim Holland who had met at the ANU and were married in 1965. A description of Sakia and Jim as anti-apartheid activists can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-30/burgmann-holland-peace-prize/4340694