BY KAMALA EMANUEL
The struggle for socialism lost a true friend with the untimely death on October 22 of Bruce Heckinger, aged 50. He died pursuing the sport he loved, paragliding, at Manilla in NSW.
Bruce touched many people's lives, not only in Tasmania where he lived, but in many parts of the world. A New Yorker by birth and accent, he traveled widely and was a true internationalist. His love of flying led him to join the US Air Force. He rebelled over the mindless discipline and left.
He joined the radical movement in the 1970s. After being deported from Australia to the US for overstaying a visa, he made his way back, having fallen in love with the Tasmanian wilderness. Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula became his home, but he never stayed in any one place for long.
Bruce campaigned to save Tasmania's Franklin River in the early '80s. He spent time in Central America in the late '80s, becoming a passionate defender of Nicaragua's revolution and the revolutionary movement in El Salvador. He used every opportunity to expose US imperialism's crimes in Latin America and around the world.
He was a staunch defender of the Cuban Revolution, never missing a chance to convince others of Cuba's right to choose socialism, and of the benefits it has given the Cuban people. At the Global Greens Conference at Easter, he explained the environmental gains the revolution has made. At the packed anti-globalisation forum held by the M1 Alliance in Hobart Town Hall in June, he spoke from the floor, using Cuba as an example to rebut the assertion that "violent revolution" couldn't bring justice.
A loyal supporter of the Democratic Socialist Party, Bruce enthusiastically joined the Socialist Alliance at its formation, and hoped for unity between the alliance and the Greens. He brought music and good cheer to many Green Left Weekly fundraisers.
Bruce saw the struggle for socialism and environmental sustainability as completely interconnected. He also supported the Greens, optimistic that his friend Bob Brown "must have" drawn socialist conclusions.
While supporting unionists' struggles, Bruce argued with them on the picket lines in favour of an end to logging in old growth forests. He was involved in numerous other social justice and environmental campaigns, from opposition to visits by US nuclear-powered ships, the campaign against the Gulf War and the Jabiluka uranium mine, to support for East Timor's independence.
Bruce never let national boundaries limit his allegiance to the struggle for socialism. He spent July and August in East Timor campaigning with the Socialist Party of Timor in that country's first election since the end of Indonesian occupation.
An accomplished classical pianist, Bruce entertained activists with his accordion on picket lines and progressive functions. He was well-known in Hobart for busking at the Salamanca markets in summer.
Bruce exuded a zest for life that was infectious. He missed death when beaten up by neo-Nazis in Europe several years ago. We wish he had dodged death this time. We take comfort in the knowledge that he died while doing something he loved, and rejoice in the music he left behind, including his composition: "Song for Che".
The struggle for a better world was enriched by Bruce Heckinger's life. He will be greatly missed, especially at a time when the anti-corporate and anti-war movements need as many anti-imperialist activists as they can find.