Land rights champion dies

A senior Arrernte man who headed the Central Land Council and gained a reputation as a champion of indigenous land rights has died.

Kwementyaye Stuart, whose real name can't be used for cultural reasons, passed away on Friday from lung disease.

Born in 1932 at Jay Creek, in the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs, he worked as a stockman and drover from the age of about 11, refusing to attend mission school.

He went on to be a bare-knuckle boxer and worked in travelling fun fairs, before being convicted of the murder of a nine-year-old girl in 1958.

After his release he spent several decades working for the CLC, as a delegate for the Alice Springs region, as a field officer and from 1997-2001 as chairman.

"Kwementyaye was a strong and astute leader who saw education as the key to a better future for his people and never let his own lack of schooling stand in his way," said CLC director David Ross in a statement on Tuesday.