THE adult children of the two elderly Australians kidnapped in the West African nation of Burkina Faso say their parents dedicated their lives to helping the poor.
Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn drove across the Sahara in a beat-up old Land Rover after Ken completed medical school in the 1960s. They stayed in Burkina Faso, which is one of the poorest nations on earth, to provide health services to villagers.
Now in their 80s, they have apparently been kidnapped, and their whereabouts is unknown.
Burkina Faso was attacked by al-Qaeda terrorists late last week, with more than 30 people killed at the Splendid Hotel, which mostly hosts Westerners.
The Elliotts are believed to have been kidnapped at around the same time, although it’s not clear why terrorists would target the elderly pair.
The Australian born Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was due to visit the country on January 24. It’s not yet clear whether her visit will go ahead, with Denmark’s Foreign Minister Kristian saying they will not travel “if there is a situation where we cannot guarantee the security of the crown princess”.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Ken Elliott is a graduate of the University of Western Australia’s Class of ’64.
In a booklet produced to celebrate the 50th reunion, he talked about driving across the Sahara, and staying in Africa to build a small hospital, saying: “We have not made our fortune but we have had a lot of enjoyment not making it.”
He provides 150 surgeries a month at the Burkina Faso Medical Clinic where his wife is also on staff.
The couple recently appealed for somebody to take over the hospital, since they are getting old. In a YouTube video, he says: “We really are getting on a little bit in years and we really would like people who would like to make it their work.”
