The Presenters for the Morning Tea are:
Rollo Manning. Rollo has been involved in community work for more than 40 years, as both a policy maker and at the grass-roots level. He is a pharmacist by profession.
He strongly believes a visionary approach is needed to avoid the total degradation of Aboriginal society, and is urging the support of mainstream Australia - to better understand the disaster which exists in Aboriginal communities across the north of Australia.
Maria Malay.Maria was born in Western Australia in 1973, into the language group gija. Her mother died when she was two years old. She was then raised by her father, until his death in 1989.
She was doing it tough, in a world riddled with alcoholism, marijuana addiction, crime, sexual abuse and chronic unemployment.
With the help of a church community, she has been forging a new life for herself and her two children, in Darwin, since 2004, where she does her best to help people in need, with the inspiration which she herself received.
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This event has been co-ordinated by local resident Katherine Wood, who is the brother of Rollo Manning.
Katherine is asking the people of the Southern Highlands to welcome Rollo and Maria to this district.
Lets go along to the morning tea, meet Rollo and Maria and learn about real life conditions in the Aboriginal communities of the Top End.
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Get a different perspective on these issues from the pictures which the mainstream media deign to publish.
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See you there:
Burrawang Hall
Saturday 5 August 2006
9:30 am
4 comments:
And there IS another perspective! There ARE good news stories. But, firstly, people stuck in suburban life in the cities don't understand aboriginal life. Although I qualify this by saying that people are better informed than they have ever been and more interested but there is so much to learn and explore that I don't believe it can be done without living in close contact with aboriginal people. Secondly, the whitefella has to get out of the road. Most whitefellas want things to be better for aboriginal people but they are not prepared to forego tax cuts to do it. We have to learn to get ourselves out of the picture for a while. And that includes Mal Brough trying to prove that he has all the answers and think (and this is laughable) that he has a new and better approach that no one has ever thought of or tried before. Anyway, where has he been in all this before stepping into the Ministry? What runs does he have on the board? To me, it looks like he is going to be part of the problem not part of the soluton. I hope the time with Rollo and Maria goes well. It sounds like they have interesting stories to tell and experiences to speak of.
There is a bind for the "whitefellas" who wish to help - helping, while staying "out of the road".
Anyway, hopefully I shall be a little better informed after Saturday.
Hi Denis
Please come and visit the Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre during August, as we have a great display by indigenous South Coast Artists. Boolarng Nangamai "Together Dreaming" Aboriginal Art and Culture Studio from Gerringong. Jim Wallis a retired Primary School Head Master has been teaching weaving using native plants and materials. There is a special display of items inspired by a 1850's painting by Louisa Atkinson, of South Coast traditional woven items. Love having the Indigenous Artists visiting as they are Gracious and Talented.
Thanks Beth.
I didn't know you had that display there. I shall check it out.
Denis
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