13 years ago I went to Australia, it was a journey that would open my eyes and change my life.
I was in my late twenties and in my mind I thought I knew alot about the Country already. I watched some Australian soaps, seen all the amazing beaches, the endless good weather and the happy healthy people. I'd read a little about Aboriginal Culture, about their peaceful way of life, their respect for the land and the amazing art that they created.
I was so excited to go, so I applied for a 1 year working visa and off I went.I already had a few connections over there after making friends whilst I lived in London. I visited the east coast briefly and then I headed over to Western Australia.
At first everything was great, Western Australia is beautiful. Alot of the coast was wild and untouched and the South has Kari forests that have such a magical quality to them. One could easily stay here and live the dream.
But slowly I started to hear the terrible disregard that alot of people living throughout Australia have for native people.
I saw how they were treated with scorn and disrespect.
Source:astar.tv
I learned how children of school age were told that the history of Australia started with Captain Cook arriving there.
That Australia day which is a huge celebration for many Australians, is considered a day of mourning for Aboriginal people, as it was the day Captain Arthur Philip took possession of New South Wales and raised the British Flag for the first time.
That in 1936 the Western Australian Aborigines Act was passed that allowed Aboriginal people to be taken into custody without trail or appeal and also to forbid them to enter towns without a permit.
I learned that 'Walk About ' is a huge part of Aboriginal culture and that they follow songlines which criss cross all over the Country and tell the history of the land. But now they are being forced to move into settlements with appalling conditions and give up that way of life .
How the oldest rock art in the world, older than the pyrimads, The Burrup is being destroyed by mining companies.
'Dampier Rock Art Precinct comprises possibly the largest concentration of petroglyphs (rock carvings) in the world and possibly the largest number of megaliths (stone arrangements) known in Australia. Estimates of the number of rock art motifs range from 300,000 to well over 1,000,000 images. There are many types and styles of carvings in the Archipelago, which are thought to represent a period from our recent history up to 40,000 years in age, straddling the last ice age some 17,000 years ago. The place constitutes the greatest continuous cultural site in Australia.'
http://www.fara.com.au/
I discovered that when the Australian Government sells uranium it is part of the agreement of sale that Australia dispose of any waste created, that waste is being buried in the center of Australia. The aboriginal people know that all land is sacred. Now that land is being filled with toxic waste. http://archive.foe.org.au/import-waste
I learned that a lot of very well off art dealers go to remote communities to buy art and then sell it for huge profit in their very expensive galleries, completely exploiting artists.
Many of the breweries in Australia are built on Sacred sites, showing a huge disrespect for the people, as their was a time when they were paid in Alcohol and as their bodies have a harder time processing sugar, drinking only small quantities of Alcohol has a huge affect on them. And as a result of the way they are and have been treated some have turned to Alcohol, like many other people all over the world to help them cope.
I learned about the huge percentage of young aboriginal people who commit or attempt suicide.
How, when aboriginal people are admitted to hospital, they are usually put under guard and observed very closely.
How do I know this ?
Because for a while I worked in mental health services over there and I saw that when native people were brought into the Emergency Room in General hospitals they were usually always brought by police and sometimes restrained .
There is one incident will stay with me forever.
A young woman, younger than me, had been brought in and since her admission she was kept sedated. No one could tell me why, only that she was picked up by the police upset and would not co- operate with them. I was told to keep her sedated until she was seen by a Consultant. I chose not too and when she awoke she was very upset and angry. I apologised for the treatment she had received and it was then she told me that her partner had hung himself. She had started to drink in order to deal with her grief. She had been at the hospital for 3 days and no one had spoken to her, her family didnot know where she was. She had lost her partner and this is how she was treated.
I was in Australia for just over 3 years and during that time the media began to spread stories about about how child abuse was rife in some northern Territory communities. Then the day came where it was announced that they would be sending in the army to remove children from their families. The reality was that there was huge mining opportunities on the said land and the aboriginal people were refusing to move on. So what does the government do, it invents stories to cover up the real reason and support their cause, whilst fueling the already existing racism towards aboriginal people.
I am including a link for the amazing Documentary 'Our Generation' which talks about this and many other issues facing Aboriginal people in Australia. It is a must see.
I am also including a link for a website that shows the violence that they suffered down through history, it is not easy to read. https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/massacres-the-frontier-violence-thats-hard-to-accept
But through all of this I did connect with some amazing people who were active in trying to end the prejudice and destruction in Australian.
http://www.standupfortheburrup.com/
https://nuclearnewsaustralia.wordpress.com/category/topics/opposition-to-uranium-mining/
My time there, opened my eyes further, to the lengths the government go to, to get what they want.
That the media are not our friends.
That if you want to know the truth about anything, you go there yourself, you educate yourself and keep doing so. Always always ask questions.
That only by being active, when faced with injustice can you ever have a light heart,we must always fight and stand united.
That one voice, added to that of others will collectively always make them louder and more likely to be heard.
