Van Dieman’s Land
Well, I took Keith to the airport today for him to head to the cooler Tasmania climate. He gets Tassie withdrawals if he doesn’t get there fairly regularly. He tells me there’s some conference on indigenous education in Hobart but I reckon he’s just been wilting in the central Australian heat. Then tonight Emily and I went to see “Van Deiman’s Land” at the Arulaen Centre here. Sy, our current visitor, had seen it and told us it was great and the scenery was stunning. He neglected to tell us that the movie was really about humans killing and eating other humans. The scenery was stunning and reminded me of some wonderful walks I have done in that part of the world, but I had my eyes closed for half the movie as I don’t enjoy watching people being axed to death and eaten. The truly awful thing is the movie is based on a true story of escaping convicts. It is actually a very good movie but Mil and I couldn’t wait to get out of the theatre when it finished adn go home and give Sy a hard time for not warning us. I hope Keith will be OK down there. Strange things happen on that island.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)Back home and crook
Well, we’ve been back home from Africa for almost 2 weeks now and I’m sick. The first week back I was jetlagged and this week I’ve had a head and chest full of horrid slimy stuff an no energy whatsoever. I have struggled to keep working but had to relent when I was practically falling asleep on clients and colleagues kept telling me to go home. I had all of today off and went to the doctor who predictably told me that I would live and just needed to rest. He thought my job is stressful and my trip to Africa was stressful and that was why I was sick. Funny thing is that that sort of stuff doesn’t stress me… coming home to broken down cars, plumbing problems, and an unfinished cabin I do find very stressful. The builders are putting in the kitchen in the cabin today which means it is pretty well finished - at last!! Unfortunately it wasn’t finished when we came home so our friends who were going to live in it till Xmas had to find alternative accommodation, which is very disappointing. We still have to finish painting it. There’s always some painting to be done. It would probably surprise no one to know that Keith and I are engrossed in colour decisions and have about a dozen tester posts to date.
Anyway, Africa! How do I begin!! In response to questions on my last blog - we went to South Africa, Uganda and Rwanda… and Kenya too (we walked over a bridge and found ourselves in Kenya for 10 minutes!). It was all part of a course I am doing in responding to trauma. We immersed ourselves in the appartheid history in South Africa and the genocide in Rwanda and found it all utterly devastating. We lived in a black township near Capetown and a remote rural village in Uganda and a disability project in Rwanda and received the warmest hospitality. We met a lot of people who should have had the stuffing knocked out of them given all the attrocities they have had committed against them on top of poverty and disease, but who still smile and have hopes and dreams and want to talk to us. It was enormously humbling and deeply touched us. Particulary people who spoke about forgiveness to people who have so terribly wronged them. It was a significant experience and I feel changed by it. So many things to reflect on and hopefully some valuable connections to keep.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)capetown
i was happy although probably not passionate to come to come to South africa. funnily alot of it is like being in australia. similra climate which sounds a bit silly given that there is more than one climate in australia so may be its like living in sydney. they have teh beaches the agriculture, similar white standard of living. similar plants although i am led to understand that soyj africa has veryu different plants. anyway they’ve planted alot of eucalypts ad bottle brushes so i feel at home.
of course the big difference here is that they have teh black white issue which makes australia’s challenges look pretty nothing. in central australia we talk about town camps with hundreds of people. in capetown we have had teh honour of staying in a township (one of teh many) where tehre are probably 10,000 in just this one. most have humble but perfectly pleasant little houses, whilst thousands of others lives in makeshift shelters that makes alice spings towncamps look pretty comfy. thats the physical stuff but it is the spiritual stuff that has left such an impression.
the black freedom movement and what it has done to this place has to be one of the miracles of our time. so many amazing people like mandela. biko, subukwe, sisulu, mbeki, tutu all had the wisdom to fight for all south africans and not just black south africans although their task was undoubtedly to emancipate black south africa. 30 years in jail studying, teaching inmates, teaching their white prison guards,teaching to anyone who would listen, always believing that they were preparing themselves to govern the country for all south africans. robben island was a university inside a jail.
unlike in australia there are black people at every level of work although they still have a long way to go on this front. still it gives me hope for aboriginal australians who seem to have no such underlying spiritual paradigm that links their history to their future that can sustain them.
If one was looking for an African Che Guevara then Steve Biko is your man. the most insanely sensible, eloquent and courageous man i have heard for many a long time.
this trip has been a wonderful opportunity for me to stop a smell the daisies a bit but also to learn what a remarkable country this is. the people black and white are actually trying to do something i am not sure has ever been tried before. south africa must succeed. in a strange way it seems like all of our futures depend on it.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (3)We’re off to Africa
Well, Keith and I are off to Africa for a month leaving tomorrow morning. All part of a course I am doing around responding to trauma in communities. At the moment I just can’t wait to get to Perth and see the ocean. It’s what I miss most living here in the centre. I’m feeling a bit crazy with the stress of organising our world to be away for a month, but I don’t suppose anyone will feel sorry for me. Any way, I’d best try to pack.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (3)My Baby Needs a Shepherd
Following in David and Emily’s footsteps, here is another song for the wanderer………..
My baby needs a shepherd, she’s lost out on the hill,
Too late I tried to call her when the night was cold and still,
And I tell myself I’ll find her but I know I never will,
My baby needs a shepherd, she’s lost out on the hill.
My baby needs an angel, she never learned to fly,
She’ll not reach sanctuary just by looking at the sky,
I guess I could have carried her but I didn’t even try,
My baby needs an angel, she never learned to fly.
Oh I ran so far through a broken land,
I was following that drummer beating in a different band,
And somewhere on the highway I let go of her hand,
Now she’s gone forever, like her footprints in the sand.
Toora loora loora lo
First the seed, then the rose,
Toora loora loora li
My kingdom for a lullaby.
My baby needs a pilot, she has no magic wand
To help her part the troubled waters of the Rubicon,
But in my soul I know she has to go this one alone,
After all that is the only way she’s ever known.
But there is no lamp in all this dark
That could chase away the shadow from the corners of my heart.
I pray she rides a dolphin but she’s swimming with the shark
Out where none can save her, not even Noah and his ark.
Toora loora loora lo
To the cradle comes the crow,
Toora loora loora li
My kingdom for a lullaby.
My baby needs a mother to love her till the end,
Up every rugged mountain and down every road that bends,
Sometimes I hear her cryin’ but I guess that’s just the wind,
My baby needs a mother to love her to the end.
Emmylou Harris
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Sleep Out
Well, last Friday night about a dozen of us slept on the church lawns on Todd Mall in the centre of Alice. We did so to protest a buch of proposed Council By Laws which plan to ban people from sleeping on Todd River, confiscate and dispose of their sleeping items, and fine beggars (now there’s a good idea!!). It’s important to note that ALice has a terrible accommodation shortage and lots of people have to come in from remote communities for a range of reasons , including health care, going to court etc. It was an intersting evening. There was a bigger bunch of us who sat there earlier in the evening but then about half left before it was time to settle in for the night. We had some great placards asking for compassion, including “Begging for Respect” (which Martin wrote). A lot of people approached us and sat down and talked to us, particularly aboriginal people. They would come up to us and ask where we were from and tell us their name and where they were from and tell us about their country and ask what we were doing. Most had no idea about the propsed by laws, despite plenty of publicity. Most were from out of town with nowhere to stay except to camp on the river bed. It was interesting just hanging there on a Friday night watching what happened. Some of it not so pretty - there was drunkenness and one fight between 2 women, one who was obviously pregnant. However, I have to say, on the whole, it was a really nice vibe. One couple who seemed to be new migrants even offered for us all to come to their place for somewhere to sleep thinking we were from out of town with nowhere to stay. A bunch of aboriginal people wanted to sleep with us that night. We lent them blankets and in the morning they all got up and left all the blankets. No one took anything, no one hassled us… not even the police, who just went past. The security guards kept a pretty close eye on us but didn’t aproach us. We possibly didn’t have the best sleep we ever had - the pub closed at 2am and the street cleaners started at about 6am and the Mall remains lit all night… but it was great to do it. I really felt we made more of a connection with people in the town. Some people said they would join us if we do it again. If 4 of us weren’t going to Africa in under a week, I think we would do it again next week. I hope some others might it pick up and run with it.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)black arm band
well this desert festival clicks along. last night i sang in the asanta sana choir with about 4 other choirs. it is a thing morris stuart does up here training a whole lot of different choirs and then we all come together. they were all aboriginal choirs some school kids and others older women. teh older women make this amazing wail in harmony that sends chills down yor spine.
the night got better though. after the choir thing the black arm band played. this was a combination of about 30 unbelievably talented musos (mainly aboriginal including archie roach, ruby hunter. in the middle they reformed the warumpi band with neil murray and company to commemorate the lead singer who died two years ago. it was just the most amazing musical smorgasboard. it was like a whole festival in one band.
but the best thing of all was that i reckon the audience was pretty evenly split between black and white people all just enjoying the vibe together. i cried.
if the black arm band play near you you gotta go and see them. i dont know how they could get that many people together easily but i guess if they can do it in alice springs they can do it in sydney or melbourne.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)dancing in the desert
its currently the alice springs festival and lots of good things happen at this time of year. stella talked me into going to some aboriginal dancing which I have to say mostly i find boring. anyway to be a good companionable husband i went. alas it was nearly finished but anyway there were heaps of people both blackfellas and white fellas which always makes my heart sing. the men were up dancing doing this very masculine stuff and i have to say i found the energy, the people, the dust flying with a full moon in the background over the telegrah station all quite sublime. it was all pretty jolly good. the guy then invited us to dance with them which i really wanted to do but hestitated because, you know, I didnt want to be first. Then the dancer said come on we’ve got to learn your langauge you can learn our dance. well about 200 people got up and we all danced around like total awkward whitefellas but it just felt fantastic being in the hands of blackmen showing us all what to do. it was all a real hoot and it felt like this is what black and white relations should be like.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (1)The Age of Stupid
Last Friday night, a balmy evening in downtown Alice Springs. Olive Pink Botanical Gardens - vego curry and wine and live music under the stars. Sit and chat with friends at the end of a busy and emotional week and really enjoy the vibe. $10 movie shown after - BYO chair or swag or just sit on the dirt and watch the screen on the side of a truck in the gardens. “The Age of Stupid” socks you between the eyes. Nothing new. Just all this global warming stuff and how incredibly stupid we are. The problem of oil and how pervasive it is. Unfortunately, I knew half the audience so, as usually happens, these movies just preach to the converted. It’s an important movie and hopefully many will see it and think and do something different.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comment (0)My day with MK
Well, my workplace shifted last Friday to a new building that unfortunately resembles a prison because of so much security. I felt a bit depressed when we were moving, even though I now have a bigger office with a window. So much security always gets me down. Any way, a new building needs a good name and has to be smoked to get rid of any unwanted spirits. So I had to hunt out my friend, MK, who is a respected elder around town. I hadn’t seen her for ages but she turned up to church this morning, dressed in black and with a shaved head. A family member of hers was murdered on Todd River by a bunch of young local white guys almost a month ago and the funeral was last Thursday. It was an absolutely appalling crime and has had the whole town in shock. The young man murdered was also family of our neighbours and we had met him a couple of times out here. He was very friendly and cheerful. Any way, I sat down with MK after church and we spoke about this and then I broached the subject of our building. She said she would come with me to look at it. She thought the huge fences would be OK if we painted them with nice pictures of people around campfires. I thought she had a point. Any way, I showed her around and she liked my room. We discussed some possibilities for a good name and arranged for a smoking later on in the week. Then she wanted to go to the markets so I took her there and we brought our fruit and vegies and some of her favourite tomato chutney. Then I bought Vietnamese spring rolls and coffee and we sat on the church lawns and had our lunch and watched the passing parade, most of whom waved at her and she gave money to a lot of them. She told me she was being flown to Melbourne next month because she has been selected to speak to some groups of people there. She had picked up an orange beanie from the church second hand store to keep warm in Melbourne. She said she really liked Melbourne because you can get good coffee there- “proper coffee - really fluffy .” She then said she needed to get some chicken to take home for the kids so I we did drive through KFC on the way home because it was getting hot and she liked the air conditioning in my car. She helpd me slow my pace down and I came home feeling happy.
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