Indigenous Issues

So another country, another form of racism. Not that I can offer any defence or particularly insightful comments on where I come from either, it's just in other people's country's there is the ability to be the outsider looking in and so is possibly a more objective view...??

In Broome I have seen more Aboriginals than further south in Western Australia and yet they are no more integrated into this society than the very white one further south. And disappointingly I have yet to meet an Aboriginal or chat to one for more than a nod of the head. From what I understand there has been a lot of past misdeeds directed at the Aborignal population; the initial settlers aiming to annihilate them being rather a major misdeed. Uncomfortable thought really.

In recent times the governments of the day have tried to rectify the wrongs of the past, but seem to be going about it in such a way is to keep Aborinals and white Australians totally alienated from each other. There are, of course, no easy solutions but it seems that man's inhumanity to man continues in its current guise resulting in not being able to reconcile differences and move into the future together. I think I may be rather an idealist in this respect, but here's hoping.

As a traveller there seems very little difference that I can make for the short period of time that I am here. Visiting their National Parks (now leased back to the Government though) and buying directly from them seems to be about the sum of it. How can I, as a foreigner, help them integrate into a society which isn't even one that I belong to? And more to the point, why should they integrate into a relatively young society when their's has been in existence for centuries? Issues of equality and culture seem to raise more questions than it does provide answers. Maybe once I've left the country I'll have the benefit of hindsight and objectivity and be able to see things in a different light.

Roadtrippin' Teddy

From Fremantle to Exmouth by the airways, from Exmouth to Broome by the highways and only now have I totally had it up to the proverbial "here" with bugs. After a great week of roadtrippin' with my reunited travel buddy and generally roughing it true traveller style we arrived in Broome (north Western Australia) for a pitstop to top up the Travel Treasury.

Roadtrip Part 1 was a gentle introduction to the ways of the road Aussie style. I finally saw the famous yellow diamond road signs warning of kangaroos and other such weird and wonderful observations for several kilometres, came face to face with the infamous road trains that stop for nothing and do lovely damage to windscreens if not careful, plus the unending roads for as far as the eyes can see and the unrelenting heat in red dust desert country with just shrubs and bushes for company. But it was grand - me, the travel buddy and the travel teddy on the open road with a motley music selection to break the monotony.

The heat is a very special 40 degrees and I am now sadly intimate with sweat and sweat patches (lovely?!) but after a while we moved to a site with a view of the turqouise paradise beach - what a great idea we thought......

Until an infestation of ants devoured all our food - carbohydrates only mind you - into unopened packs of food they burrowed and then to add insult to injury, a little team of cockroaches decided to join us every bloody night - arrggghhhh. Needless to say we weren't happy bunnies. So we moved. Air conditioned room, TV, movie channels, fridge, 3 meals a day cooked for us - pretty much like being at home really. Except we were working. But you can't have it all I guess. I think we deserved it for a while - there is only so much hoo-ha one can take before needing civilisation for a short period to regain one's sanity.....

And now the Great Teddy Roadtrip Part 2 is soon to commence...... (Did I mention we have an adopted African teddy??)