Seeing as people are telling anecdotal stories
about our Indiegneous people I'll add one to the
mix as well - as to the kind of people "our taxes"
are suppporting. Let us also not forget it is our
taxes that have helped destroy their culture,
their land, their way of life.

"Australia already has one saint, Blessed Mary MacKillop.
Many thin the second should be a Wiradjuri woman from
Cowra in central-western New South Wales, Colleen Shirley
Smith, known to everyone as "Mum Shirl."

"Over the years Mum Shirl influenced Father Ted Kennedy
at Saint Vincent's parish in Sydney's Redfern, when he
turned the resources of the church over to to caring for
dispossessed Aborigines. Extremely well read in theology
and literature, Ted Kennedy described Mum Shirl at her
funeral in 1998 in Saint Mary's Basilica as "The greatest
theologian I have ever known."

"She had taught Kennedy how to fight for justice. Mum Shirl
did not suffer fools gladly, and quickly brought the mighty
and righteous down from their thrones, often with some
well-placed four-letter words. Before joining Redfern
parish, Mum Shirl had been a prison visitor for years and
she had raised as hwer own more than 60 children who came
into her care. She worked with the Redfern parish to
establish the Aboriginal medical and legal service that now
operate next door to the church."

"The Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Australia, says that her
"work at Saint Vincent's evolved into an informal welfare
agency for a mixed clientele of ex-prisoners, children in
need, single parents, alcoholics and young probationers.
With no money of her own, she often ran her services on
her own sickness benefits...By the 1990s Mum Shirl had
assisted some 6,000 people."

(Taken from Father Paul Collins book - "Believers...)".

Foxy thanks for that no finer Australian than 'Mum Shirl'
I'll tell one tO about Ken (real name) an Aboriginal bloke I worked with for years.
Ken came to work every day, ate sandwiches for lunch, never drank, drove a nice late model car, done his job and went home to his family, wife 2 daughters and son in Sydney's inner west every night. Gee, this must be lies, Ken don't fit the Aboriginal stereotype. let me correct it Ken was a lay-about drunken wife basher live off the dole in public housing. that will make some people happy to hear their verson of the "truth"!

Dear Paul,

One size doesn't fit all. That's for sure.
And the white man has a lot to answer for.

I had a bit of a giggle - on my other discussion
dealing with what's good and bad about life in
Australia when someone posted as bad, the annoying
habit that crows have of
waking people up at all hours with their noise,
and rummaging in garbage bins.

It occurred to me that perhaps the crows
in the early history of this country made no noise.
Two hundred years ago when the white settlers
arrived the crows started to make a noise (speak).
Which could have sounded like - "Get out! Get out!
Get out!" and it's been getting louder ever since. ;-)

Who can blame them.

Sorry Foxy, not quite right.

After settlement people realised crows pick the eyes out of newborn stock, particularly lambs. People had enough sense to shoot the bloody things, & keep their numbers under control. Crows, like many other pests, have multiplied dramatically with access to all the extra water & food in the landscape, developed by our improvements.

Then some noisy rabble minatory convinced some gutless politicians that they would gain a few votes if they enacted protection for the crows, & dozens of other pests, some really dangerous.

Back in more intelligent days busy people would shoot one crow, & hang it on a fence where the new lambs were kept. The crows stayed away, saving the lambs, & ammunition.

We will be doing it again, along with the crocks, sharks & a lot of other pests, when sanity returns to the country. This will probably be just after the welfare system collapses.

From Foxy - "It occurred to me that perhaps the crows in the early history of this country made no noise. Two hundred years ago when the white settlers arrived the crows started to make a noise(speak).
Which could have sounded like - "Get out! Get out! Get out!" and it's been getting louder ever since. ;-)

Who can blame them."

This is not one of your better or well thought out comments. In fact what is that supposed to mean? All the whites should get out of Australia? If that's what you mean, what's stopping you from leading by example? If it's not what you mean, perhaps you can clarify.

I apologise if it seems like I'm picking on you today.

Gentlemen,

I'm surprised that my crow anecdote to Paul has been
taken so seriously by you.

I wonder what your reaction would have been had you
realised that I was merely being facetious?