The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > Silent tears > Comments

Silent tears : Comments

By Stephen Hagan, published 22/10/2007

Auntie Rhonda tells her story and that of four generations in her family - all of them from the 'stolen generation'.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. ...
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. All
Having known people who spent 50 years of their lives serving aboriginal people in remote areas I find this article totally without balance. Some of these missionaries have literally given of their lives to do what the vast majority of people would not consider.Unfortunately their were and still are cruel whites who have abused and used black people. Their are also blacks who have no respect for themselves or anyone else in society. You can be sure of one thing however that as long as people have a 'victim mentality' they will never arise above their circumstances. There is a lot of pain in many aboriginals lives. Unfortunately nothing will change while we continue to promote a one sided view of history and not look at the current day problems that can only be addressed in house. Its about time we started to listen to the Noel Pearsons.
Posted by runner, Monday, 22 October 2007 2:23:48 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
I would like to make a couple of points.

Unfortunately, while Aunty Rhonda's story is certainly true of many black children, it is also true of many white children of the same and later era who were incarcerated in some church institutions. That does not excuse what happened, but it does point to the fact that it wasn't just racial discrimination. Any child who was thought to be illegitimate was treated the same way, black or white.

It might be culturally desirable for the children in Uganda and similar places to be cared for by their relatives, but it seems that the relatives are generally wanting in this regard, as were the relatives of many illegitimate aboriginal children, so that the only alternatives are either an institution or adoption. Neither might be utopia, but pray tell, what are the alternatives?

David
Posted by VK3AUU, Monday, 22 October 2007 2:44:35 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
i would just like to say i am a forgotten australian i was placed in the states run institutions for doing wrong by the law yes punish me the legal way not by being raped and soddimissed by the two pedophiles that worked for the australian goverment in these institutions also i am not aboriginal and i was not the only white person raped in this institution,the goverment of australia is covering up this abuse and still continue to do so as for the goverment in their debate last night by saying they want to know about the australian history are they going to teach our childeren what we suffered as as children under the hands of these goverment run institutions i guess they won't have the guts as they are still covering up ther truth today this is real the forgotten australians are victims of the the goverments neglect to protect the children while they were in institutions there are many of us victims still living ,and there are many who have passed away and for all those victims as i am, i shall not stop the fight for justice , if i have to go to high court so be it ,when a judge says your complaint is plainly real and a tragic part of our history then throws the case out due to legal loop holes the goverment has ,what hope do any of us victims have , ive appealed associate justice macready's desission of 20 september 2006, and i will keep fighting as if i don't, that is what the goverment wants, well not this person ,im going all the way unless they silence me as someone tried to in 2004, im real im not giving up and can only hope all other victims stand up for there justice as well , we are no longer the politcal pawns that we were when we were in these institutions ,we are out in the real world trying to get justice kind regards micheal michealjbrown@hotmail.com look at the web site kockypric.com and type in daruk boys home
Posted by huffnpuff, Monday, 22 October 2007 6:03:54 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Stanners says:

I try to put myself in the place of indigenous mothers and feel the pain they must have felt at having their children torn away or of a child deprived of family and suffering the deprivations, dispossession and indignities forced upon them.

COMMENT:
Welcome to the world of the Celts.. (Welsh) the Scotts, ... (Highland clearances)Irish and umpteen zillion other disposessions, invasions.. that have made up world history.

Its tragic...but not 'the end'.

I tried to find in Stephens article "What does he want"?...but failed.
All I found was, as Liz the yank said.."A sob story"

Stephens opening comment quoting Publius "The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body" SHOULD tell us something.. i.e. that such things have been with us from DAY ONE of human history.

Stephen says about Auntie Rhanda

"Even today, living in Ipswich, where she lives close to her adult children, Auntie Rhonda said she is still uncomfortable around white people."

Then....I was looking for the bit which says "and we can fix this by.....".....but nothing.

I don't mind heartfelt expressions like this, but they should at least reach for a solution. The same solution perhaps that has been available since the time of Publius, down to the Celts.. to now?
Posted by BOAZ_David, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 7:11:45 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Boazy: "All I found was, as Liz the yank said..'A sob story' ".

A fine example of Christian compassion, in equally fine company. The former missionary belittling the experience of the 'stolen generations' at the hands of missions - how unsurprising and typical.

"Auntie Rhonda said she is still uncomfortable around white people"

Particularly people like Boazy, runner and lizz-the-yank/Pocahontas (in the unlikely event that she ever actually met an Aboriginal person), no doubt.
Posted by CJ Morgan, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 8:38:48 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
BOAZ_David,

Your usual cold 'Christian' response to a tragic story. In your eyes, that's just the way the world is - Rhonda's story is for you just another 'sob story' - and it's up to the victims to find their own solution.

So the Stolen Generation should 'at least reach for a solution'? Mr BOAZ there's none so blind...Indigenous Australians have been reaching out to governments (and sadly to people like you) for decades - to little avail (exception, when there's a losable election in view).

Rhonda's story is another way of reaching out, but you just don't get it. Jesus would have got it in a flash. He tried to teach compassion, but many who take his name don't yet understand his philosophy of compassion.
Posted by FrankGol, Tuesday, 23 October 2007 10:57:01 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. ...
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy