Kwementyaye Stuart was an Indigenous leader and head of the Central Land Council. In his earlier life Stuart worked on cattle stations and as a bare-knuckle boxer, and had at one time operated a merry-go-round with a travelling fair in the Northern Territory.
In 1958, Stuart was convicted of rape and murder, he was given a death sentence. This case became controversial, as Stuart had been beaten by police in which they obtained a false confession. Stuart had still 'served 14 years in prison and another ten years in and out on parole. Stuart's case became the controversial subject of a book and inspired the 2002 film Black and White .'
Stuart was paroled in 1984, as worked as a field officer, and went on to represent the Alice Springs region as a Central Lands Council for 20 years, and 'chaired the land council between 1997 and 2001. ' (Source: The Courier-Mail, November 2014)
