Today in an ABC News Ticker it was stated as follows:
"One third of 'disease burden' suffered by indigenous Australians 'preventable'.
A serious worry, but at this stage I have no more detail. Is it funding? Is it delivery of the relevant medical services? Is it a problem that many indigenous Australians do not present to receive the medical services available? Is it a lifestyle matter that results in the onset of these diseases?
Is it a combination of all or some of the above?
I'll update this post when and if I can find more detail.
Whatever it is I hope that it can be addressed and quickly.
GD
Friday, September 23, 2016
Thursday, September 15, 2016
A Simple but Telling Act
It was reported in my local newspaper how an Aboriginal father out having a coffee with his family overheard two elderly ladies at a nearby table being somewhat discriminatory about indigenous Australians. As he left the restaurant he ordered a pot of tea for the two ladies and had it delivered to their table with a message that it was from the Aboriginal family that had been sitting near them. Apparently it caused the ladies considerable embarrassment.
Well done Aboriginal dad. A peaceful, constructive way to make a telling point about the discrimination that lingers in Australian society.
Come on fellow Australians get over it and recognise the wonder that resides in the psyche of your country's First Australians, who have a deep spiritual affinity with this land that we need to understand and embrace.
GD
Well done Aboriginal dad. A peaceful, constructive way to make a telling point about the discrimination that lingers in Australian society.
Come on fellow Australians get over it and recognise the wonder that resides in the psyche of your country's First Australians, who have a deep spiritual affinity with this land that we need to understand and embrace.
GD
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Remote Aboriginal Communities
Hi out there young Aboriginal persons.
I've been to almost every remote community in WA as part of my work with the Education Department of WA. I was always overawed by the remoteness. I was always worried about what the young would do once they had completed schooling. I could understand why the pull of the land was a great pressure to stay in country.
Having now retired and been able to reflect on my experiences I say to you young guys and girls out there, go to school regularly and learn all that you can. Even go away to secondary school if the opportunity is there. Don't be worried that you will lose your ties with country. You will never do that wherever you are. Return to your community from time to time to refresh the cultural links that make you who you are and to be with family. Be proud of your culture.
If you can learn to walk in the wider cultures outside your own community as well as retaining your links with your community it could be good for you. It is a difficult thing to ask of anyone but I have a sense that if you can do this you can bring back to your community skills and knowledge that will help. Especially you can make sure that the elders can feel proud and not disillusioned with the discrimination and cultural disruption that they have experienced in the past. They can leave this Earth with a sense of pride that they have got through all the bad times.
Your strength can bring a way of peaceful and fruitful living for your community members even though you go back out to the wider communities in which you may now live and work.
Teach the wider communities what it is to be one with country. So many Australians do not take the time nor do they have the opportunity to understand this. Preserve your language so that you are bilingual for in this language resides the heart of your culture, your stories, your history passed on by word of mouth.
Teach disaffected Aboriginal youth who you come across that life wasn't meant to be short, brutish and ugly. Committing crimes and constantly breaking the law is no way to live. Drugs are no help in living a happy fulfilled life. Lift your peers up to be one again with their lands, to be proud to be one of the First Peoples of Australia and to know that all true non-indigenous Australians respect you as their brothers and sisters.
GD
I've been to almost every remote community in WA as part of my work with the Education Department of WA. I was always overawed by the remoteness. I was always worried about what the young would do once they had completed schooling. I could understand why the pull of the land was a great pressure to stay in country.
Having now retired and been able to reflect on my experiences I say to you young guys and girls out there, go to school regularly and learn all that you can. Even go away to secondary school if the opportunity is there. Don't be worried that you will lose your ties with country. You will never do that wherever you are. Return to your community from time to time to refresh the cultural links that make you who you are and to be with family. Be proud of your culture.
If you can learn to walk in the wider cultures outside your own community as well as retaining your links with your community it could be good for you. It is a difficult thing to ask of anyone but I have a sense that if you can do this you can bring back to your community skills and knowledge that will help. Especially you can make sure that the elders can feel proud and not disillusioned with the discrimination and cultural disruption that they have experienced in the past. They can leave this Earth with a sense of pride that they have got through all the bad times.
Your strength can bring a way of peaceful and fruitful living for your community members even though you go back out to the wider communities in which you may now live and work.
Teach the wider communities what it is to be one with country. So many Australians do not take the time nor do they have the opportunity to understand this. Preserve your language so that you are bilingual for in this language resides the heart of your culture, your stories, your history passed on by word of mouth.
Teach disaffected Aboriginal youth who you come across that life wasn't meant to be short, brutish and ugly. Committing crimes and constantly breaking the law is no way to live. Drugs are no help in living a happy fulfilled life. Lift your peers up to be one again with their lands, to be proud to be one of the First Peoples of Australia and to know that all true non-indigenous Australians respect you as their brothers and sisters.
GD
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Hullo Aboriginal Youth
I'm worn out talking about the politics of indigenous affairs even though that is important. I want to spend time talking to indigenous youth.
During my years as a professional educator I had a lot of happy contact with young Aboriginal persons. I now despair when I read of the numbers of young Aboriginal youth who are in prison and of those who have taken the extreme measure of suicide.
Listen you guys out there I've wondered over the years from my contacts with you as students in schools that I had responsibility for, whether you carried a sense of having to keep up some sort of a fight against the non indigenous peoples of our great land. It would be understandable that your parents, uncles and aunties had told you of the discriminatory experiences that their forebears and they themselves had suffered. They may even have expressed anger and frustration that it seemed to be around even in this 21st century. Be that as it may I am sure that these your loving guardians as you grow up would not want you to be acting up at the pointy end of criminal activity. Rather they would want you to work for your Aboriginal brothers and sisters to find a respected place within the various communities of Australia.
There is so much to be done to ensure that the indigenous peoples of this land, the First Peoples, can walk with heads held high proud of who they are and respected by all Australians. You young guys and girls are the future of indigenous Australia in sport, in business, in the arts and in politics. There is no time to waste. It is you who will educate non indigenous Australians to understand how your people are of the land and how much this means in your culture. You need to preserve your history inclusive of language(s). Only you can do it. Only you can convince your peers to live lawful lives and to contribute to the advancement of indigenous Australia.
A very important job is that you look after your elders who have experienced the worst of cultural disruption. You need to do everything in your power to help these elders to have optimism that at last non indigenous Australia is beginning to get it in respect of their indigenous brothers and sisters. Your old ones deserve to have some degree of reassurance in their final years that all is not lost.
Remember that there are now many Australians who have migrated here from many lands and these people may have only a minimal understanding of the story of indigenous Australians from 1788 when a bunch of convicts arrived from England on the shores of NSW. These new Australians if you like need education from you guys, need help to understand indigenous history and culture(s).
Go for it young Aboriginal people. Rejoice in what each of you can do positively as individuals and collectively. Respect for who you are is growing, make no mistake, but more remains to be done.
Enough already!
GD
During my years as a professional educator I had a lot of happy contact with young Aboriginal persons. I now despair when I read of the numbers of young Aboriginal youth who are in prison and of those who have taken the extreme measure of suicide.
Listen you guys out there I've wondered over the years from my contacts with you as students in schools that I had responsibility for, whether you carried a sense of having to keep up some sort of a fight against the non indigenous peoples of our great land. It would be understandable that your parents, uncles and aunties had told you of the discriminatory experiences that their forebears and they themselves had suffered. They may even have expressed anger and frustration that it seemed to be around even in this 21st century. Be that as it may I am sure that these your loving guardians as you grow up would not want you to be acting up at the pointy end of criminal activity. Rather they would want you to work for your Aboriginal brothers and sisters to find a respected place within the various communities of Australia.
There is so much to be done to ensure that the indigenous peoples of this land, the First Peoples, can walk with heads held high proud of who they are and respected by all Australians. You young guys and girls are the future of indigenous Australia in sport, in business, in the arts and in politics. There is no time to waste. It is you who will educate non indigenous Australians to understand how your people are of the land and how much this means in your culture. You need to preserve your history inclusive of language(s). Only you can do it. Only you can convince your peers to live lawful lives and to contribute to the advancement of indigenous Australia.
A very important job is that you look after your elders who have experienced the worst of cultural disruption. You need to do everything in your power to help these elders to have optimism that at last non indigenous Australia is beginning to get it in respect of their indigenous brothers and sisters. Your old ones deserve to have some degree of reassurance in their final years that all is not lost.
Remember that there are now many Australians who have migrated here from many lands and these people may have only a minimal understanding of the story of indigenous Australians from 1788 when a bunch of convicts arrived from England on the shores of NSW. These new Australians if you like need education from you guys, need help to understand indigenous history and culture(s).
Go for it young Aboriginal people. Rejoice in what each of you can do positively as individuals and collectively. Respect for who you are is growing, make no mistake, but more remains to be done.
Enough already!
GD
Friday, September 9, 2016
Making Progress
As a super optimist I am hoping that the federal government, opposition and cross benches will act together to expedite progress for the indigenous peoples of Australia. I note already that Tony Abbott and John Howard are arguing against a treaty. I hope John Howard's influence on politicians is waning but I acknowledge his right to a private opinion.
I also hope that the Australian people when they are offered a referendum vote to recognise the first Australians in the constitution will vote yes. I was in the past very confident of a yes vote but now am worried by the weighty views that it won't be a done thing, inclusive of concerns from the indigenous communities.
All this in a context of continuing high rates amongst indigenous youth of incarceration and suicide.
All this in a context of rumblings that government support for the continuation of many remote communities will be withdrawn. If this occurs and these communities cease to exist it will be another blow for the elders who have put up with the shattering of their cultures since 1778.
Enough already!
GD
I also hope that the Australian people when they are offered a referendum vote to recognise the first Australians in the constitution will vote yes. I was in the past very confident of a yes vote but now am worried by the weighty views that it won't be a done thing, inclusive of concerns from the indigenous communities.
All this in a context of continuing high rates amongst indigenous youth of incarceration and suicide.
All this in a context of rumblings that government support for the continuation of many remote communities will be withdrawn. If this occurs and these communities cease to exist it will be another blow for the elders who have put up with the shattering of their cultures since 1778.
Enough already!
GD
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