Bruce Haigh, a former Australian diplomat who defied the norms of his profession to provide secret support to anti-apartheid activists in South Africa, including the banned newspaper editor portrayed in the film “Cry Freedom,” passed away on April 7 in Australia at the age of 77.
According to his sister, Christina Henderson, Haigh was evacuated from Laos when his cancer worsened and died in a hospital in Wollongong, south of Sydney.
Throughout his life, Haigh worked in various roles, including as a ranch hand, an oil rig worker, an Australian Army conscript in Vietnam, a diplomat, a refugee advocate, and a columnist and broadcaster who criticized what he saw as excessive American influence on Australia’s security and defense policies.
However, his commitment to the underdogs and those he perceived as oppressed was exemplified during his tenure as a junior diplomat in the late 1970s, when he provided covert support to anti-apartheid activists in South Africa.
2023-04-23 11:43:19
Article from www.nytimes.com