Dear Joe (Loudmouth),

It certainly would be interesting to time travel and see how
Australia would have developed under different
colonial powers. Under the Spanish, Dutch and others - and
whether the Indigenous People would have been treated any
differently. Would the contact have been beneficial or
destructive.

As for the narrative today? I don't think that the Indigenous
People are very concerned about trading their Audi for a Merc
as you suggest (amongst other things). I think their narrative
is more along the lines of - "Will the Whites always have
the final say?"

My dear Foxy,

Well, i didn't mean 'ordinary' Indigenous people, more their leaders. The leaders seem to prefer BMWs actually.

I'm always uneasy with fantasy: hypotheticals, okay, but fantasy, no. I haven't even seen any Harry Potter of Lord of the Rings movies, and have no interest in doing so.. Or Star Trek, etc.

What I was trying to peel down to was

(1) whether or not the invasion/settlement of Australia was inevitable, and

(2) whether, on balance, it was beneficial.

I'll hate myself in the morning, but I can't escape concluding that the answer to both questions, on the basis of my limited knowledge of mainly SA records and experience, is "Yes".

Wow, there go a few more friends from my remaining supply :(

But i hope you will still be my friend :)

Love always,

Joe

Dear Joe (Loudmouth),

Thank You for clarifying things further for me.

And you need not be concerned.

I shall always be your friend.

Well, when are you leaving your old man for greener pastures in exciting Adelaide ?

Dear Loudmouth,

I'm not sure about the situation in SA but from my limited reading it was pretty bleak. What happened in Victoria to the estimate 15,000 to 20,000 Aboriginals after the invasion/settlement, having been already decimated by diseases from the north, was that they were reduced to less than 200 within 40 to 50 years.

For you to then say they were better off really is denial of what turned out to be a holocaust and pretty pathetic.

That is of course unless you meant "better off dead".

Dear Joe (Loudmouth),

Thank You for the offer (and compliment).

But -

I love my husband, my family, and Melbourne.

Now back to the topic...

Have you really not read any of - J.R.R. Tolkien's work -
"The Hobbit," or "Lord of The Rings?" I find that hard to
believe. Fantasy is an ongoing part of our common human
experience. We all dream. What about -
the Harry Potter series? or Star Trek?

You've missed several irisistible elements - unflappable
friendships, the triumph of good over evil, love over hate,
humour, a world steeped in secrets and dazzling magic and
special effects. An escape from the mundane and the ordinary.

Anyway, I wish you success with your work.