The wife tells me, when she tried 'dot' and bark painting some years back during an indigenous cultural exchange, she found Aboriginal painting as difficult as the Aboriginals girls found using the Maori poi (single verity). When she tried Island weaving with palm fronds, she found that easier as she is expert with flax, but the palm fronds are much tougher material to work with.

BTW, our 16 year old grand-daughter is not only a fantastic island dancer in Cook Island style, similar to Tahitian, but extremely good with Maori double poi's (very difficult to master). The girl has natural talent. Does a good 'Nutbush" as well, in European tradition.

Hi Paul,

Your family sounds incredibly interesting and talented.
Lucky you. At one stage I had considered taking belly-dancing
lessons. But I chickened out. Instead I stayed with the
traditional Lithuanian Folk-dancing. I've still got my
national costume - which I tried to pass onto others - but
nobody in the family wants it. Not even the head piece.
Mum got buried in hers. That was her wish. Ah well perhaps
one day my grand-daughter might like it. Who knows.

Hi Foxy,

Some have the notion that to be culture something has to be old, not so, culture can be both traditional and modern. 'Dot' painting in recent times has become a part of Aboriginal culture just as 'Cubism' has become a part of European culture, both are modern, and both are of equal value in their own right with more classical forms of culture, regardless of there age.

Sorry to hear that no one in your family wants such a treasure as your national costume as a keepsake, and a reminder of family history and traditions. In my wife's case a family treasure such as a 'korowai' (cloak) to which many hours of labour and love has gone into its making is a most prized possession. It is lent out to whanau (family) for special occasions such as weddings, special birthdays and graduations etc. It is kept by my youngest step-daughter (42). A favourite moko, a name-sake of the wife's, an 18 year old niece asked to borrow it recently for her school graduation. In the 13 years I have known my wife, she has worn the family korowai on three occasions, at our friends gay wedding in NZ, at our wedding, and at her 70th birthday party. It doesn't come out of the closet that often.

Dear Paul,

As I said earlier - you've got a fantastic family.
I've still not given up hope that perhaps one day
my grand-daughter may also take an interest in her
heritage. Time will tell, I guess.

It's been quite a week.

So many deaths.

Now another one has been added to the list.
The iconic Lillian Frank who gave so much
to Melbourne - including million to charities
has died at the age of 92. She was my hairdresser
for a few years when we lived and worked nearby
until she sold her Toorak salon. I got to know and
admire Lillian. Her charity lunches were wonderful.

She will be greatly missed by all. She gave so much
to others - and did it with such elegance and
style.

RIP Lillian.

From http://www.examiner.com.au/story/7859416/republican-leader-warns-of-a-scare-campaign-repeat/ August 13, 2022

"Republican leader warns of a scare campaign repeat"...'Latte-sippers'

The Voice concept emerged from the 2017 Uluru Statement, which received input from local traditional owners, Indigenous community organisations, and Indigenous leaders.

But Country Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has framed the idea as an "Indigenous elite"

, disconnected from local communities, simply maintaining access to the "gravy train".

Her comments were publicly backed by a cross-section of conservative MPs.

"Don't underestimate the capacity of a scare campaign to make it close." [says] Greg Barnes

Greg Barnes, who chaired the doomed pro-republic campaign, says the arguments are a "repeat" of what he faced in 1999.

"It's as though Abbott and co. pulled out the playbook and said: What can we use from that?," he says.

"They'll say it's an elitist issue.

The Teals are into it
the Greens are into it,
Labor's into pandering

to its latte-sipping set...I'm not sure that the community buys it now."

..."Don't underestimate the capacity of the scare campaign to make it close, but no cigar ... While some of these arguments might seem far-fetched, if you say them often enough, they're effective," he says.