Graeme Clement Dunstan (born 4 August 1942) is a prominent Australian cultural and political activist. A graduate of Essendon High School, Graeme matriculated in 1960 as dux with honours in maths, physics and chemistry. He is an engineering graduate of the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

(UNSW), where he was President of the Students' Union (1967) and twice co-editor of its newspaper, ''

Tharunka ''Tharunka'' is a student magazine published at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Established in 1953 at the then New South Wales University of Technology, ''Tharunka'' has been published in a variety of forms by various ...

'', (1967 and 1971). In 1966, while President of the UNSW Labor Club, he was active in organizing anti-

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

protests. As organizer of the LBJ Welcome Committee he stopped US President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

's motorcade in Liverpool Street, Sydney by lying under the president's car, upon which NSW Premier,

Robert Askin Sir Robert William Askin, GCMG (4 April 1907 – 9 September 1981), was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but ...

, was reported to have said "run over the bastards".
Sydney 'prepared' for APEC conference
' ABC Radio, AM, 3 September 2007. Accessed 1 September 2008 In 1973 with Johnny Allen as director of the Aquarius Foundation of the Australian Union of Students and Dunstan, as director of the Foundation's biennial Aquarius Festival, together they produced the

Aquarius Festival The Nimbin Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students. It was the fourth in a biannual series of festivals, first organised by the National Union of Australian University Stude ...

which took place in Nimbin,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Dunstan was the first community arts officer (1981–5) employed by the City of Campbelltown and in that role set up the Friends of the Campbelltown Art Gallery which lobbied successfully to found the Campbelltown Regional Art Gallery. In 1985–89 he was a Festivals Consultant to the Victorian Tourism Commission and in that role he was one of the initiators of the

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...

, Ltd serving as its founding Secretary in 1987. As a freelance event organizer, Dunstan has helped produce celebrations including the Byron Bay NYE (1995), Bondi Beach Christmas and NYE celebration 1996, Nimbin 'Let It Grow' Mardi Grass (1998 – '99), the Sunshine Coast Schoolies Week (1997), the annual Eureka Dawn Walk (1998–) and the annual Independence from America Day Parade in

Byron Bay Byron Bay (Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headla ...

(1998–). He is captain of Peacebus.com, which is a website and a campaign vehicle from which he organizes Cyanide Watch and other actions of witness for peace, justice and a sustaining Earth.

External links

Graeme Dunstan ''Curriculum Vitae''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunstan, Graeme 1942 births Australian anti-war activists University of New South Wales alumni Living people