A few years back, we employed a nice young lady, of about 18 years. She had a lovely suntanned complexion, but, not being much good at things racial, I only discovered 2 months later, that she was part aboriginal.
This was when we discovered that her "uncles" were comming to take her home from work. Of course they only came on pay day, & once they had her pay packet, it was the pub they went to.
We had to pay into her bank account, & then keep her bank book, at work for her to stop this. We also had to have a few words with said "uncles" along the way.
When she moved into her own flat, we paid the the rent for her, direct from her pay, so she did not have to carry the money.
If aboriginal welfare agencies worth the money we pay for them, they would prevent these problems, & not leave it for the well meaning public, like us, to bumble through.
Hasbeen

personal experience with my local high school has shown me that its not the kids its the schools, the teachers and the system which is failing our kids.

the policy spiels and one-liners all sound and look good but putting them into action is a great deal harder and because of that harder to implement than write it all amounts to lots of hot air blowing around the place.

is it any wonder that so many aboriginal kids are not staying in the education system. i know how to talk the buracrat speak and handle myself amongst a wide variety of people and am not easily intimidated but fronting up to the school office or discussion with a teacher is a trying thing. patronising dribble, over enunciating conversation and or minimal explanation is iritating to me but i recognise that to a sister or brother who may not be as confident it can be a daunting deterent.

more often than not schools could and ought to do more but the too hard basket doesnt get dealt with very often and when it does its more of a toss than a sort.

Hasbeen, actually you're quite adept at things racial.

.....oh, Ranier, leave out the censorship bit for Hasbeen will you? Can you or can't you show some goodwill to the hasty scribblers on this site? Don't you think there is any "well meaning public" out here?

C'mon...My sister-in-law spent a considerable time keeping her pay from her Gamilaroi husband so he wouldn't waste it on the pokies or give it away. Now she has remarried to a man who doesn't get pissed and hit her and doesn't gamble.

Of course, in your tiny little world this strange new husband, a mature, educated, successful man of Anglo-Awabakal heritage doesn't exist, there are only useful stereotype figures which we must not question ..... Shhhhhh... careful ... we are not worthy to make comment. Puke.

It's that very attitude that everything in this world is 'racial' that makes non-Aboriginal people too scared to ask a woman at a bus stop if she's okay

Hi 2deadly,

Perhaps you should move where I live :-)

Many of my friends are either married to part Kooris or part Koori themselves. They are involved in the mentoring programs at the local primary and high schools and do a great deal of good to encourage Koori kids to learn and stay within the education system. They are also very aware that paying/blackmailing the families isn't the way to go. The parents have a tendency to spend the dollars on themselves rather than the kids anyway, as do the white folks with their back to school money from the government. They have also restructured their local council (formerly aspa) so that people aren't in the business of helping only for the rewards they get (aboriginal housing - example).

Whereabouts do you live, if you don't mind me asking ?

I'm not angry over the money they get, I'm angry that not every Australian child gets it.

With all due respect, I think the stolen generation has been done to death now. We can't move forward to a better Australia/Life if we continually look back at the past.

Thanks Ro, always ready to be told how to think about these things ..I'm still learning...and you're right, that lady at the Griffith university bustop was there so long because people were too scared to ask her if she was dying.,,,not because they thought she was a drunk ..cos no-one thinks like that do they