14 December, 2007Anti-asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton dies
AUSTRALIA: Two thousand people attended the funeral of anti-asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton who died aged 61 on November 27 after a battle with aggressive peritoneal mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer.
Bernie was the public face of the campaign to make James Hardie agree to pay AUS$4 billion in compensation to its victims. He was given a state funeral by the New South Wales government in recognition of his role as an advocate for asbestos victims.
Bernie was employed at James Hardie in the 1960s and 1970s along with two of his brothers, who have also passed away from mesothelioma.
Only days before his death, Bernie won a court settlement against James Hardie in a test case that should enable hundreds of other victims to claim additional compensation.
His sister Grace said at the funeral that Bernie truly believed the saying, 'When good men do nothing, evil triumphs.'
Bernie is survived by his wife, five children and 11 grandchildren.