Pete Gray

Biography Gray was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Classics, at the University of Newcastle; and then worked as an archivist in the university library. He was simultaneously a member of the Rising Tide "climate change action group", campaigning in particular against logging and coal mining. It was described by Greenpeace as a "landmark case [...] that forced tougher scrutiny of coal mine emissions in Australia".

He was also "the original instigator of what is now an annual flotilla in Newcastle harbour, disrupting the movement of ships for a day at the world’s largest coal export port", and was arrested several times. The action echoed that of Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who had thrown his shoes at the President of the United States, George W. Bush, during a press conference two years earlier. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard condemned the action, saying there was "no excuse for that kind of disrespectful conduct towards anyone", and Tony Jones described him as an "idiot", which Gray later commented "does actually hurt a bit coming from Tony Jones".

Gray himself later said that he had found the event "stressful" because it wasn't "in [his] own nature" to throw anything at anyone. "Political leaders must be held accountable for their actions – this is a neglected yet fundamental part of the democratic system of which we are justifiably proud – but Mr Howard’s election loss does not constitute anything like a full measure of accountability. [...] My actions on the set of Q&A upset a lot of people. Mr Howard’s actions killed a lot of people. I will remain unapologetic, and it appears he will do the same. I encourage everyone to express their own views on the wars in the Middle East, their views on Mr Howard, and their views on my actions, but I would ask that everyone take a few moments to really try to imagine the reality of war."

The following month, in November 2010, he married Naomi Hodgson. Diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2009, he died of the cancer five months later, aged 30 years. The online auction took place on 26 August 2011, "with all proceeds to be directed to the Red Cross's aid efforts in Iraq". The shoes were bought by Volley, the company that had made them, for A$3,650. They were intended to be displayed in the company's online museum of "well-worn Volleys", regardless the Volley Museum webpage was removed in early 2013 having never featured the shoes. It is unknown what happened to the shoes after this time.