Thursday 30 April 2009

A plea for direction


A 15 minute ex tempore oration on "the lost generation" was given by David Williams. Lined up in front of him he had the representatives of white middle-class power in the State: The Governor, Professor Marie Bashir; the local member for the Federal seat of Sydney, Tanya Plibersek who is also the Minister for Housing; The State Minister for Community Services, Linda Burney who is from the Wiradjuri tribe; and, Clover Moore, the Mayor of Sydney.

David lines 'em up and delivers a spray about the hopelessness felt by the coming young generation of aboriginal people about their role and purpose and prospects in life. It was sobering. His voice broke; he paused. His hands waved in emphasis: yet his core remained resolute. From a bloke at the coal-face to the movers'n'shakers it was a rousing call to arms. I sought him out as he stepped down and was proud to take his hand and call him brudder.

9 comments:

Jim said...

Interesting stuff. You made me chuckle with your remarks on my blog today. Cheers.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Lowell said...

You have a real talent for zeroing in on what is really significant...so much meaning can be derived from your photos.

Ann said...

This one needs no words. That hand speaks for itself.

Virginia said...

What wonderful, wonderful hands. YOu know how I appreciate them. These are just grand. Good work my friend.
V

PJ said...

Julie, you always convey such intensity of purpose in your work. This is why blogging is so important, we get to focus on the details that make the difference. I hope Mr Williams gets to see these.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

a very powerful post for today. well done! I am glad you enjoyed the bougainvilleas in my series on Frank Lloyd Wright. And yes, I agree with you that the landscapers must have quite a time keeping the bougainvilleas growing but not overgrowing the pergola. Bougainvilleas grow so quickly.

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

I clicked to leave a comment about how powerful your post is today, but see that my wife, Julie of Scottsdale Daily Photo, already left a comment above saying the exact same thing. She is currently three time zones ahead of me, so she had a head start checking your blog today.

We visited Australia last December, which gave us a better appreciation both for the ANZAC contributions and the Aboriginal culture.

Lois said...

A very moving post. The pictures and narrative are so powerful. Thanks!

Tash said...

You amaze me with every post.
So worthy of our attention. Thank you.