Kosciuszko, our iconic highest mountain, is a name familiar to all Australians. But how many people know who the mountain is named after? Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who lived from 1746 to 1817, is the most famous person Australians probably know absolutely nothing about. A military engineer, freedom fighter, and champion of human rights, this extraordinary revolutionary was crucial to the success of the American War of Independence, then bravely led an uprising against Russia and other invaders in his native Poland, promising freedom and equality to all who joined his cause. In his day, Kosciuszko was loved and respected across Europe and America. His great friend Thomas Jefferson called him ‘as pure a son of liberty as I have ever known’, while Kosciuszko would later challenge Jefferson to live up to the famous words ‘All men are created equal’ by bequeathing his American funds to free enslaved people, including those on Jefferson’s plantation. Kosciuszko’s life & legacy is enthralling, inspiring & indispensable. But is that reason enough to keep his name on the mountain?
