“The Government killed my son,” said Njikena Elder Lucy Marshall.
She said, “The truth must be told.”
Her son, Cyril Hunter, died in 1983 from exposure to Agent Orange, the toxic chemical used en masse during the Vietnam War. Mr Hunter had been employed to spray Agent Orange as a herbicide throughout the Kimberley.
He did not last long.
But no-one is listening. Despite a 2003 inquiry into the use of Agent Orange in the Kimberley and another inquiry by a scientific panel in 2004 Ms Marshall said that Australians are still not aware of the State and Federal Government neglect and abuse of Aboriginal workers who were most of the workforce handling Agent Orange.
Ms Marshall wants the Government to come clean – they actually knew the herbicide would kill – the Vietnam War had already evidenced this, and scientists worldwide knew.
Ms Marshall, as a mother and campaigner, has gone to every relevant Government department seeking answers. She also wants acknowledgments of the facts where she says she has the answers but everyone wants to pack it all way into the past – as mistakes belonging to a previous generation.
Ms Marshall said during the seventies and the eighties that in both the east and west Kimberley Aboriginal peoples were treated “as if they were still non-citizens” of Australia. They were used as manual labour, handling substances known to be hazardous to human health.
“Our people were paid to spray weeds but with Agent Orange, a chemical that can kill human beings. Agent Orange is said to have killed and maimed 900,000 during the Vietnam War. Ten million hectares of southern Vietnam was sprayed – it was known to be highly toxic, a killer, and when contaminated with the poison dioxin it was immediately deathly,” said Ms Marshall.
It is true that this occurred. Agent Orange (a herbicide) was still being used in Australia as late as the 1980s. In 2003 the Geoff Gallop Government accepted responsibility for its use in the Kimberley. This followed an inquiry into the use of Agent Orange as a herbicide in the Kimberley and the inquiry’s recommendation that the Government accept responsibility.
For a couple of decades a group of men who had sprayed the herbicide in remote regions of the Kimberley battled to prove a wide array of illnesses that blighted them were due to the exposure to Agent Orange.
Former worker for the Agricultural Protection Board, Ron Delvin said, “We were moving around the country spraying it all over the place, willy-nilly and being told it was safe, that you could drink it.”
Fellow worker Carl Drysdale said, “We were spraying potent herbicides like 245-T, which were used in Vietnam as Agent Orange.”
Another worker Carl Drysdale said, “There have been so many deaths.”
He said he was aware of 40 deaths so far.
“Like Cyril Hunter, he was a Derby man who died at 33 years of age.”
“A lot of them were in their 30s when they died.”
Ms Marshall said they all died because of the chemicals they were spraying – because of Agent Orange.
“They were strapping fellows, young and strong. It is not on so many should die in their 30s,” said Mr Drysdale.
Ms Marshall said she knows her son Cyril died because of Agent Orange, and also that Cyril’s younger brother contracted cancer from the contaminant chemicals left on Cyril’s truck and clothes which were brought home.
Mr Delvin said that when he first started with the Agriculture Protection Board there was no safety equipment and there was no labelling of what was hazardous.
“We did not wear any special protective clothing.”
Another Aboriginal worker with the APB was Ricky Greatorex. He worked with the APB for three months.
“I went blind, I have never had another job, it destroyed my life,” said Mr Greatorex.
During 2003 a Government inquiry took place with 90 of the 300 who sprayed for the APB being interviewed. The inquiry found that a majority of the workers became sick, some while working – first with nausea and vomiting.
The inquiry identified at least 27 workers still living at the time who should be compensated – that was their recommendation.
But as has recently occurred with the Maralinga victims it was not easy to prove from a legal vantage – for instance in Court – that Agent Orange was directly responsible for Mr Greatorex’s blindness, or Mr Delvin’s and Mr Marshall’s illness or Mr Hunter’s death. The Government should have directed act of grace payments without requiring the burden of proof that a Court may require.
It is not rocket science that the Maralinga victims were affected by the radiation fall-out from the Atomic bomb tests. It is not rocket science that Maralinga survivor Yami Lester’s blindness was a caused by the radiation. But only last month the legal advice to Maralinga’s Aboriginal survivors was none of them would be entitled to compensation through the Courts because it could not be proved that radiation fall-out had indisputably caused their cancers, blindness, burns and the premature deaths.
Similarly, the 2003 report made it just as clear that it would be impossible to scientifically prove that Agent Orange caused the workers’ illnesses or any of the 40 deaths.
Despite the recommendations for compensation to be paid to the surviving victims, the State Government did not move with simple act of grace payments other than only acknowledging the use of Agent Orange in the Kimberley.
They were entirely failed by the State Government – there was nothing even in terms of Workers Compensation.
“It was a complete betrayal of trust,” said Ms Marshall.
What is appalling is the allegation that some of the drums of the 245-T arrived in Derby in the seventies from left overs in Vietnam. However this has not been proven.
Mr Drysdale remembers the drums labelled 245-T and if so they would more than likely have been from Vietnam. Previous investigations have found the drums may have been sourced by the now defunct Chemical Industries Kwinana from a Vietnam redirection of the drums to Singapore. The company would have avoided costly tariffs by securing cheaper chemicals from Singapore.
Some of the imports were found to have concentrated dioxin, the component poisonous to humans. In 1981 there was a Federal inquiry. The inquiry recorded the facts but effectively went nowhere in terms of supporting and compensating the victims.
Ms Marshall said she believed that those who had anything to do with the chemicals knew people would die.
“These young men, including my beautiful son Cyril, were not fully informed and aware of the dangers – that the chemicals could accumulate in their body, build up and sooner or later kill them,” said Ms Marshall.
“It’s safe to use they were told.”
“They were offered what was for them high rates of pay, good food and accommodation.”
“Cyril, like his fellow workers wanted the job. Like the others he had to remove any protective clothes to survive the heat of the Kimberley. Like the others he allowed the poison to be sometimes sprayed on his body to enable him to keep going. Daily they hosed down the vehicles, killing the surrounding bush and even a giant Boab tree.”
“Finally, like many of the others and even before the task was completed, Cyril became seriously ill and died.”
“He was buried in the Derby cemetery.”
“The empty drums remain in the Derby tip.”
“The Government killed my son.”
“It was a crime that remains unacknowledged.”
“I cannot forgive or forget.”
“I have that right,” said the Njikena Elder and mother.
OMG, this is outrageous, what a despicable thing to have happened. It makes you sick in the stomach. My heart goes out to you Lucy, to all of you.
The Governments of Australia, both state and Federal as well as the little power bases of Local Government and the Departments of the Governments, are all marching to the same drum.
Some time back Mr Fraser, who was once the Minister of Defence prior to his being the Prime Minister called for an inquiry into the effects of Agent Orange on the Vietnam War Vetrans. The Royal Commission was a sham, and their were more lies told in that inquiry then has ever been told in any court room of this country. The Royal Commission found that Agent Orange was not harmful to humans. How ever this didn’t stop these underhanded people from banning all use of dioxin the main poison used in the chemicals of Agent Orange and so on. I wanted to use the chemical (Agent Orange) around the Government Office Blocks in Canberra as well as the Lodge but was told I would be gaoled if we went any were near Canberra with these chemicals. I wonder why??
Carol there isn’t or hasn’t been a Government in this wonderful country which has been honest and truthful to the citizens, about the use of Agent Orange. Down-Corning has excepted the claims of the Vietnam Veterans in America for the illness which they have been inflicted with. But here in this Great Country the Pollies still lie and deceive us with their fairy tails and spin! It makes you wonder who is benefiting from these denials?
This is why we need to get behind the move for Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, so that STATUS can give weight to the fight for Rights.
The fact that the UN still places Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples behind such countries as Afghanistan in standard of living lists, shows that they are NOT seen to be truly part of our society.
“Out of sight & out of mind”, the rest of Australia comfortably ignores them.
This shocking story joins so many others that are a deep blot on our nation.
However, I know that there are many decent persons who are willing that it wasn’t so. Lets work to truly make our country a place of ‘the FAIR GO.’
Yes we must work to change that status.
No… Recognition removes rights. This land was never ceded. The original inhabitants are still the original inhabitants. This land is still theirs.
What can one say but abominable
My sympathies dear Lucy – a mother’s loss never goes.
Congratulations to the Stringer, to its team you have brought us stories I have never known of and you have a website better than the best. All power to you good people.
I’m just as agasp and appauled as anyone that has (or would be) if they read about the use of Agent Orange in the Kimberley. It begs the question “Why was it done in the first place when there is so much eveidence that it kills. I cannot help but think that the real motive has nothing to do with killing weeds and more to do with a deliberate motive to kill Aboriginal people off. Any thinking person who seeks to understand history would understand that time and time again Aboriginal people are used as a social experiments just as they are at this present time with (unknown to most people) of a remote prison in the Kimbeleys specifically for Aboriginal families. What’s the real motive..watch out for the real “fall-out” all Australians.
My father was one of these men. Im all too familiar with this story I still have his photos from those days proving they had no protective gear. They dumped the empty drums into the rivers and on the beaches. Then they grabbed em all back up when people started dying.
Hi Sago…I am wondering if you may be able to help me…I am chasing up the victims of this issue. Would be very interested in hearing your father’s story.
I was a close mate of Cyril Hunter my family and I visited him in Derby, Broome and stayed with him and his crew of blokes at the shire yard in Fitzroy crossing where all the young men slept next to the 44 gallon drums of 24D and 245T. I said to Cyril and the boys that stuff is agent orange, they said thats what has to be used to spray the Nigoora Burr in the creeks. My two sons and I went with them for the last five days of their tour roster, they returned to Derby for their days off. I have photos or slides of our trip. These blockes have been treated as second class citizens for much too long, the BS has to stop and the WA Government to be held to account.
this is true.
Anyone affected by this tragedy should contact Harry Evans Lawyers…
Who may be able to assist getting compensation…
Possibly on a no win no charge basis…
Contact
Evans Injury Lawyers
Ph 0424 132 458
The 245t was most likely the same illegally imported batch imported by Chemical Industries Kwina as KTCP, a precursor chemical for making 245t that didn’t attract heavy tarrifs, while 245 t did.
It was tested by Government and found to be a deadly 26 ppm dioxin pure 245t and not KTCP as claimed on the import documents.
It was obtained from Telsing, A Singapore Co owned by The Lee Quan Lee Family Company. The toxicity was debated in Federal Parliament and The WA State Parliament and is recorded in Hansard. The WA Gallop Covernment knew that was what we got, promised not to sweep it under the carpet like The Libs did, but did, to escape any responsibility. Promised Health care was never available. This amounts to a crime, possibly genocide, I complained to The UN re all the above, they sought more information I don’t have the resources to follow up on, this has cost me and my wife our health, and exhausted our retirement funds, others have died early, what can be said about our successive State and Federal Governments That is printable ? It was and femains in many cases unresolved at least Manslaughter if not murder. Because the people were only Aboriginal or from a low Socio economic group the Governments appear to have got away with Murder. Sickening…….Carl Drysdale.
That’s so sad to hear how our people died from wat white people put on our land and yet they the government cannot be accountable for wat they did and the courts want proof well the proof are the people that live with the illness that u put apon them…look if it happened to white people we all very well know that they will be compensated for it but no it has happened to us aboriginal people where in the governments eyes we don’t exist to them and it makes to sad…the government will always get away with murdering our people and that makes me sick….