The Editor, Enough already! Enough of the annual guilt trip laid on those of us who choose to celebrate Australia Day. In the Australia Day weekend edition of the paper, an article by James Blackwell appeared under the title “Hilltops Councillor Column”. Given that title, I would have expected to be reading about Council issues that affect our daily lives. It did begin and end in that vein, with reference to youth events, local produce and the need for us to stay both hydrated and safe on our roads!! Good advice. Unfortunately however, it quickly morphed into a non-too subtle reminder that rather than celebrate too loudly all the good things about this country, regardless of what day we do it on, we should be reflecting more on how we continue to fail Indigenous Australians. James devoted a lot of the article to reminding us of that, and while insisting that he wasn’t going to tell us how to view the day, was able to create in my mind the image of a person turning up at a funeral playing loud music, wearing a funny hat with a beer in each hand. There is absolutely no doubt that wrongs were inflicted on Indigenous people by other Australians long since dead, with some of those wrongs being carried out with evil intent, whilst others were imposed with a misplaced belief that they were maybe just doing something to help. Either way, the vast majority of Australians recognise those failings and have bent over backwards to try and make good, all the while acknowledging that everything is not perfect. James says that Australia is the envy of the world when it comes to the sort of things that impact the quality of life in this country but then refers to the “active” discrimination faced by Indigenous people and adds that they remain the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the country. He then quotes Wiradyuri man Stan Grant Jr who says that “this is no accident”!! Seriously, did he actually say that, because if he did then his belief must be that all those terrible things continue to happen by design!! If that is so, who might these reprehensible designers or enactors be? Permit me to make a suggestion. Pick a day that brings you all together to either celebrate or mourn (your choice) Indigenous culture in this country. It could for example be the day your ancestors migrated from Africa across the land bridge that existed many years ago to our north! It clearly cannot be 26 January because that is the day that most Australians celebrate what is good about this country and where they don’t dwell on regrettable things in our past, and that date won’t be changing! James says that Indigenous people often face injustice and violence and are too often asked to just “get over it” and “move on”, which then apparently prompts the question as to what part of themselves should be forgotten. Nobody is being asked to forget anything. Aside from pharmaceutical substances, alcohol, cognitive issues and death, things that can impact us all, the only other way to erase a memory is by personal choice. So yes, do everything you can to ensure that your past is not forgotten. However it is now well past time for me to also tell you to get over something and move on, and that something is those annoyingly regular attempts to shame us into not celebrating the accomplishments of a great nation on just one day every year. Enough already! Peter Bruce Boorowa
