‘Australian history does not read like history but like the most beautiful lies.’ – Mark Twain, 1897 65,000 BCE Homo sapiens first arrived in Australia about 65,000 years before ‘the common era’, or BCE. We cannot pin down a specific day for their arrival. We don’t use the abbreviations AD or BC of the Christian Continue reading »
Indigenous affairs
When one group of people takes the land of another by military force, ‘invasion’ is the most accurate term. We would hardly speak of Germany ‘settling’ France in 1940. When Lieutenant James Cook sailed for the South Pacific to observe the transit of Venus for the Royal Society, he received further instructions marked ‘secret’ from Continue reading »
Although netball is highly popular among Australian girls, it also has a history of failing to retain and protect First Nations players. Few First Nations participants advance beyond the grassroots, with only three playing on national teams since the first international match against New Zealand in 1938: Walbunga and Bidigal woman Marcia Ella-Duncan (1986-87); Dunghutti Continue reading »
The nation is approaching a watershed decision. Are we brave enough to try and correct the wrongs of the past? The Voice. These two simple words have unleashed a manufactured storm. For me they set running a kaleidoscope of scenes: Captain Cook’s arrival The astonishment of the people already here Cook’s abandonment of his instructions Continue reading »
Many have argued that our civilisation may collapse before the end of this century. In contrast Aboriginal people have survived in this country for at least 50,000 years. In the latter half of 2023, Australians will be required to vote on ‘an indigenous voice to parliament’. It’s intended this will provide indigenous Australians a direct Continue reading »