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The Forum > Article Comments > Grey nomads to step up to the plate? > Comments

Grey nomads to step up to the plate? : Comments

By Kirsty McLaren, published 12/12/2006

'A highway for escape': the thinking behind using Seniors as volunteers in Indigenous communities.

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Well, we know that at least one indigenous person had the gumption to leave the camp for the sake of her baby. There is no reason for others not to do the same. But why on earth would non-indigenous people go to one of these camps (there is no better word for them)? We already know that remote, apartheid style living – if you can call it living - is THE problem for indigenes.

Mr. Brough seems to be passing the buck (nothing new for governments) onto volunteers. Any person who falls for this trick, and volunteers to help people who don’t make a move to help themselves, will be a real sucker. Not many people are that soft in the head, though, and the whole thing will be a complete flop like the rest of the attempts to “help” aborigines. And, given that Mick Dodson recently told everyone how “different” his people are from the rest of us, what’s the point anyway? Let them get on with things their way, on their own, if that’s what one of their apparent “leaders”, Mr. Dodson wants.

“Remote Indigenous communities have been isolated for too long from interaction with mainstream Australia”, Brough is reported as saying. Well, I never! Of course remote communities are isolated! That’s why they should be scrapped.

The whole aboriginal “thing” gets sillier all the time.

“Mal Brough may not have been trying to imply that some Indigenous people do not deserve access to basic services.” Whether or not he was is irrelevant. Do these people really expect taxpayers to provide services to remote communities when they themselves (taxpayers) are finding it harder to find lower priced land on the outskirts of cities because it is too expensive to provide services certain distances from the metropolitan area?

Mick Dodson wants his people to be left alone, says they are “different”. Let him sort out the problems – and pay for it
Posted by Leigh, Tuesday, 12 December 2006 10:00:43 AM
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Hi Leigh,

What you are suggesting sounds a bit like apartheid I think. But I agree with you about the sustainability of remote settlements that want the same services as city areas.

Looking forward to Rainier's usual feedback ;).

gw
Posted by gw, Tuesday, 12 December 2006 11:18:00 AM
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Come on author, that was a bit dog in the manger. Let's be reasonable, many of these seniors are very skilled and have a lot of life experience. Many are very fit too.

There is a lot of goodwill that can be tapped. Some have been involved in indigenous matters, health, welfare and counselling anyhow and many others have organisational skills. There ar4e sports coaches, teachers and whatever.

The idea came from the National Seniors Association (280,000 members).
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2006/1798506.htm

Grey nomads already perform a lot of seasonal work around Australia.

The proposal is that help would be provided by invitation only.

Of course the present indigenous helping organisations would have their elbows out to protect their turf - only indigenous (or 'culturally sensitive') people should help indigenous people and so on.

Just waiting for all of the rationalisations and excuses to hold out the volunteers: "Golly gee, what about insurance, training and so on".

There are plenty of indigenous children and mothers who would benefit immediately from some help.

What is the bet that if the current vested interests concede any ground on this at all they will be asking for volunteers to be limited to menial hands and feet work only.

We have a number of family friends who would give time to help and they are seasoned overseas volunteers. So why should there be any impediment to them helping out in our own backyard?

Kirsty, it is very possible that some real good will come out of the National Seniors' offer to help. What about leaving the mean political point scoring to side for a moment and try to look welcome the positives?
Posted by Cornflower, Tuesday, 12 December 2006 11:36:33 AM
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Gw,

Yes. It is apartheid, and I definitely do not believe in apartheid. Perhaps you missed this: “We already know that remote, apartheid style living – if you can call it living - is THE problem for indigenes.”

But, certain people seem determined to continue with that style of living – I certainly can’t do anything about that – hence my remark that the likes of Mick Dodson et al, who want everything but want to maintain difference, should work it out for themselves.

I wouldn’t like to have anyone think that I believe in separate development for any group, including the ghettos created by multiculturalism.

Cheers.
Posted by Leigh, Tuesday, 12 December 2006 1:28:10 PM
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Well said, Cornflower.

Kirsty, it might interest you to know that not all of us Grey Nomads live in the big cities. Many of us live in some of the larger country towns where there are also good education facilities, even at the tertiary level.

I would have thought that any attempt to improve the lot of indigenous people who live in remote communities would be welcome. Perhaps you should try and talk directly with the Minister and while voicing your concerns about the program, also listen to what he might have to say about its philosophy.

Quite obviously, what has happened during the past 40 years has not been universally successful, so some new and novel approach might actually have some benefit.
Posted by VK3AUU, Tuesday, 12 December 2006 1:31:03 PM
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Pardon me but aren't you all missing the point. Do these communities want old farts and their so-called expertise? Is there to be no assessment of what grey nomads can offer?Secondly, isn't this is another example of a government trying to get others to take on its responsibilities, thereby saving money for a dirty election campaign in 2007?

For what it's worth (not much) I have academic qualifications combined with extensive experience in lecturing, teaching, mentoring and so on. There's as much need for our services in the suburbs and many grey nomads only venture forth out of cities because age brings feeelings of frailty and being hemmed in. So a life on the open road (toot, toot, parp, parp) is very attractive. Who wants to stop anywhere for long enough to be "useful" anyway. The next thing will be this mob enforcing community work on the nomads as a condition of pensions. What about reciprocity in the form of tax-free gasoline for those who want to be involved in Brough's brou-ha-ha and ensuring volunteers are actually capable of assisting arguably one of the most deprived sectors of our population.

As health and education in our outback indigenous communities are rated as being of Third World status by WHO, OXFAM among others, it appears to me that the whole plan is a Potemkin village road show.
Posted by perikles, Tuesday, 12 December 2006 2:04:41 PM
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