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The Forum > Article Comments > Sisters on the move > Comments

Sisters on the move : Comments

By Stephen Hagan, published 20/7/2005

Stephen Hagan argues indigenous women are on the move.

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Dear Stephen

Thank you for your timely article. Ever since you posted it I have been waiting for someone to comment. I guess they are too busy with the Muslim/Christian debate?

I can only offer praise to yourself and the Aboriginal women who you commend!

I have deep respect for Aboriginal people - regardless of academia. I love watching "Message Stick".

I have had the privilege of knowing Jack Beetson extremely well. When I was a psychiatric nursing teacher at Rozelle Hospital in Sydney in the 80s - Jack tried to get a job as a Nurses' Aid. He was knocked back! What a joke. Jack and I last saw each other in 1987. What a credible man. Which reminds me, I must get in touch with him again.

I have also had the privilege of writing a Mental Health Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students - and I was even more fortunate to teach the curriculum to around 25 primary health care students at a TAFE residential school. They taught me more than I ever taught them!

I think it is great that you are pushing the barrow for Aboriginal women - what strength they have. I wish more people could open their eyes and hearts to see these womens' contributions to our society. Perhaps you could get some of them [the women named in your article - and others] to write for On-Line Opiniion? That could really bring the rednecks out of the wood work as well as serve as a wonderful platform for demonstrating the accomplishments of Aboriginal women - against all the odds they have faced since this country's Anglo inception.

I note that you are at USQ. I taught Mental Health Nursing at USQ in 1995.

Well mate, I have no criticisms or debate to offer so I guess you are speaking to a person who has nothing but respect for Aboriginal people and Aboriginal culture. I wish it was mandatory curricula in primary schools!

Cheers
Kay
Posted by kalweb, Saturday, 23 July 2005 3:37:11 PM
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I'd add a few others: Professor Marcia Langton (University of Melbourne author, anthropologist, social commentator and Chair of the Cape York Institute; Tania Major (who at 23 was the youngest regioal ATSIC councillor and is current Youth leader at Cape York Institute); singer Christine Anu....

Every socially functioning Indigenous woman deserves to be congratulated -just to have survived and remained resilient in the face of unfathomable socio-economic disadvantages imposed on her and her family throughout a history of and ongoing racism and inequity.
Posted by Frogmouth, Monday, 25 July 2005 6:29:31 PM
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The likes of Tanya Major are a sharp rebuttal to any 'racist' who might think Aboriginal people don't 'have what it takes' to make it in intellectual persuits.

The one major lesson I learned while serving as a missionary in Borneo, (on the race/cultural level) was that the tribal people have EXACTLY the same mix of 'bright, ordinary,dull' among them as any other race including ours.

I was inspired by some of the examples of sharpness, intelligence, brilliance that I observed.

If only we can communicate this to them, and for those who wish to persue an academic or business career, there is absolutely NOTHING of a racial nature stopping them.

In fact, the potential for networking among their own cultural groups is very strong. (as anyone who has contracted a concreting job to an Italian will know :)

So, ON-YA Tanya and others

Many of our own cultural idiosyncracies had their local equivalents, and it didn't take long for me to feel 'at home' among them.
Posted by BOAZ_David, Sunday, 7 August 2005 5:35:15 PM
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Hi, just discovered you had quoted my book - Massacres to Mining - stephen, thank you -
I am still busy writing and researching on human rights issues although at the moment on an old boat off the west coast of Britain...
see my work at www.vaccines.plus.com - with buttons linking to aboriginal work... all about to be expanded as our film, co produced with Robert Bropho, is soon to be available online.... it won a nomination as one of the 4 best Australian documentaries... and is called Munda Nyuringu...
please email if you want a copy jan@janineroberts.plus.com

Janine Roberts
Posted by Jani, Tuesday, 24 January 2006 1:15:16 PM
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