1953
Overview:
For the last few decades, Peter Garrett has owned one of the strongest voices in Australia! While producing original, politically stirred music with Midnight Oil, his opinions on uranium mining, environmental conservation, and Aboriginal rights have rained loudly upon the ears of the Australian Government.
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Peter Garrett
Through his music, Peter has highlighted landrights as well as conservation issues.
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Country:
Australia
Type
of hero: Environmental, Cultural and Development Rights
Attributes:
Creative, selfless
Biography:
Peter Garrett was born in Sydney’s North Shore in a middle-class family. He and his two younger brothers went to school at the revered Barker College. When he was in his early teens, he travelled to Papua New Guinea, which opened his eyes to the quality of life other people in the world experienced.His interest in politics and creating his own views about it occurred when he and a group of friends began to attend anti-Vietnam rallies. Even though he felt out of place, protesting in his private school uniform, he was dedicated to the cause.
Garrett went on to study law at the University of New South Wales and unfortunately, in his first year there, his father passed away due to a sudden asthma attack. He continued to work and finished his degree, despite he and his brother having to flee a house fire which their mother fell victim to. These hardships that were thrown onto his family only caused him to take hold of what he had, and he continued strong along his chosen path.
Peter describes his law practice to have lasted for “about twenty minutes”. But he realised it wasn’t for him. Instead, he found himself singing for a garage band called “The Farm”, which included members which went on with him to become Midnight Oil. What began as an interest, totally took off. His band officially became Midnight Oil in 1977.
In 1978, to help promote their self titled album, and to aid the protest against uranium mining, they held a large concert. From this, the Oils created a small cult following, which grew with the release of their second album “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1”.
After another four albums, the group toured the UK, the US and Europe, where they gained international respect as a band who never sold out, and who always followed up on what they were singing about. Even though many strong political and ethical opinions were being expressed in his music, he sought to find another arena to make himself heard.
In 1989 he ran for a seat in parliament, but lost marginally. Instead, he was offered the job as president of the Australian Conservation Foundation. Here his opinions were free to flourish and influence the way the government worked on issues such as Aboriginal land rights and environmental matters like uranium mining.
He again ran for a seat but this time in the senate, as a member of the Nuclear Disarmament Party but only just lost again. Garrett has, on occasion called himself “…the best known politician in Australia who has never been elected”.
In 1986 he married Doris and they had three girls together. When he is not touring with the Oils, he continues to campaign about political issues around Australia. And in between heading the ACF and voicing his knowledgable opinion on many topics, Midnight Oil are working on their new album, “The Real Thing” which is released in Australia on July 17.
Citations
& References:
http://www.petergarrett.com.au/
http://www.shootthemessenger.com.au/u_nov_98/close/garrett.htm
http://www.midnightoil.com/
http://www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au/pgarrett.html
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