Sandra

Best research is what you are doing, eg this site and the links you have been given for starters. Then read more and more but also remember to read about todays issues. The forgotten generation was not only the aboriginal children taken but also the so called 'orphan' children brought to Austraila to increase the 'white' population.

Do NOT bring this one up in Aus over a BBQ. The results can be horrific! Very like the holocaust beliefs vary from it never happened to We cannot let it happen again. Mix this lot in with alcohol and war breaks out.

I am still reading and trying to understand the decisions made....I can not, but equally I grew up in Belfast and can't understand most of that either, regardless of what I saw or now read!

Confused - I must be Sandra

Fuzzyness

thanks for the warning sandra. i think to go forward you need to understand the past and the decisions that were made. it is a thoroughly interesting topic and one as you say needs to be treated sensitively.

OzTennis

Yep, you wouldn't get any trouble from me on this one at a 'barbie'. I don't drink but I freely admit it is the worse thing that has happened in the so-called 'Lucky Country' and something I am deeply ashamed of (on behalf of my British forefathers - women wouldn't do it as badly BTW - and the 2nd, 3rd etc generation Aussies who perpetuated it. As someone else small positive steps are being taken with token gestures such as handing back Uluru but still the aboriginals are judged by 'white man' standards (they can't be trusted with alcohol, they're lazy etc, etc being typical). Unfortunately their traditional life has largely been lost and they are caught between two worlds.

Irish republicanism vs loyalism is IMHO an unsolveable one with such entrenched opinions (the worse ones being the non church goers on either side - just using religion as an excuse for thuggery, bullying, bigotry etc). We get a small flavour of that in the Rangers vs Celtic thing but that is just 'small beer' compared to what I've seen in Belfast. I'm not saying whether I'm blue or green! (Black and White actually - NUFC and my red, white and blue is the Western Bulldogs).

Vegemite Kids

I remember reading an article in the West a few months back about an aboriginal boy (12 I think) who stole a car and went joyriding, getting injured or injuring someone (cant quite remember) in the process. The parents and some civil rights groups turned round and blamed it on the historical injustices of the past. Unbelievable !

I know a lot of the problems are due to the past but that one just has to take the biscuit.

vickymills

we did a tour round uluru by an anangu local guide, he had an interprinter, it was great and very hands on, very enlightening.

My husband managed the spear throwing but I couldnt balance the wirra (carrying bowl) on my head at all.

His stories were fantastic, I would recommend this trip to everyone.

OzTennis

Yep, and some people get off with 'crimes of passion' also (seems to be more females than males on that one). And others get off because they have expensive lawyers (thinking of someone in USA at the moment).

OzTennis

Fuzzyness

or nicholas van hoogstratten in the UK in the past few days. dont get me started on him. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

OzTennis

Yep, terrible that one. I don't think a certain IH of 5 College Close, Soham will get off though!!!

OzTennis

Fuzzyness

no i think he's f****d. either way i dont think he'll last long in prison if he doesnt get himself someone else will.

Sandra

You might not drink but I think I might get trouble from your opinions at a BBQ - cause you stir it! Regardless of alcohol level consumed opinions here are varied and ARGUED, which I stated. For clairity I will state - even at a dry event do not bother raising the subject.

OZT - Your opinions on NI are simplistic (of course on this forum they have to be? by stating Irish Republic versus Loyalist). Unsolvable I agree.

Again - do not look at the aboriginal solutions that where in place in Aus without looking at the other policies that where in place at the time - for all children? It was a different world - or was it?

Cheers

Vegemite Kids

Good point Sandra.

Thats why I like the Apology Australia/ site I posted earler.

As it says there :-
An apology says "This should not have happened; this should never happen again". It doesn't say "I was there and let it happen; I am guilty". It says instead "I want my peers and descendants to know I am aware of these wrongs and am doing something to redress, in part, some of them". This will not heal the wounds but will, at least, give hope that, through our standing up as a community, it won't happen again."

To me that says we live in a different time now and do not judge harshly the previous times, but our time will be better because we have learnt from the mistakes of the past.

Sandra

Just in case others reading this do not understand my point - during this awful time of righteous policies (Aboriginal for the main part of this discussion) as thought of at the time, there were also many children brought over from the UK, Ireland and Malta, and other countries to populate the 'white' side - all these things happened up to the later 1970's and beyond. The law might have changes - but the belief hangs on?

I was not there (born in 1964) but I hope never to be a part of it happening again.

Sandra

cherry6

I agree that the whites did the aborigines wrong, and also the native americans in the US as well, but there is not a lot of sympathy for the aboriginals generally in Aus. I have heard many people moaning about the fact they are lazy, dirty, unhelpful, living lives of crime, allowing child abuse etc, and also complaints about them being paid to go to school, not having to pay back loan repayments etc . I have also heard that if you have just 25% aboriginal blood you get an easy ride. I dont know if half those things are true, and I dont make judgements unless I know for sure, but all the time rumours like that abound, aboriginals will never be treated equally.

bondipom

Pointless for us a generation down the line feeling shit for being British when we were not is a place to do anything about it. Main thing is to do something and show support for the sorry campaign. There is still resistance to say sorry for what happened which is holding back relations with aborigines.

There were also the British Child Migrants who were shipped over here.

OzTennis

Sandra

I could go on ad infinitum about the 'Northern Ireland' issue but I can't see how summarising it as republicanism vs loyalism is simplistic. I did say that non-church goers use the issue for other reasons and as an excuse didn't I?

Anyway, let it go, don't reply - this isn't what the thread is about.

BTW I would be happy to raise the aboriginal issue with friends and family but I wouldn't with a stranger or someone I don't know - stick to safe topics like the weather.

OzTennis