Thanks Greg
I've just had a long chat with a son and daughter at Baby Dreaming.
Jeremiah and Louise are the most wonderful people. We've worked together
with birders, families and American students. Any binoculars will be going
out there and to other outstations so they can continue to practise birding
skills.
However life is not all roses at the moment. My sister's daughter (she was
also mine in the tribal way), has just died. A trained teacher, she became
an itinerant, and according to police officers who befriended her, may have
committed suicide.
Esther's 85 and a bit frail, and this is the second daughter she's lost (the
first, also a trained teacher, also became an itinerant - expect more with
the government push on western-style education). So when she comes to town
to identify the body I'll be there to support her all the way.
But there's more. This death has orphaned a little boy, Kyle. Luckily he
escaped the physical effects of his mother's drinking and is a bright seven
year-old who loves reading. Esther and his extended family are looking
after him.
A couple of good things look like coming out of this appalling situation.
The police wish to pay their respects at the funeral, thus doing more for
police/Indigenous relations than anything else I can think of in recent
times; they are going to tell Esther they cared for her daughter; and
there's a move to collect books for little Kyle.
Denise
on 9/4/08 4:11 PM, Gregory Little at wrote:
> Denise
>
> Sounds good.
>
> Greg Little
>
> Greg Little - Principal Consultant
> General Flora and Fauna
> PO Box 526
> Wallsend, NSW, 2287, Australia
> Ph 02 49 556609
> Fx 02 49 556671
> www.gff.com.au
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> On Behalf Of Denise
> Goodfellow
> Sent: Wednesday, 9 April 2008 3:34 PM
> To: Michelle Plant; Birding Aus
> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] old binoculars
>
> Back in the late 1980s my Indigenous sisters and son, senior custodians
> in
> Arnhem Land, began talking to other relatives about birdwatching
> tourism.
> They had worked with me, liked my clients (mostly Americans), and
> thought it
> a great way of keeping people on their country, of making a little
> money,
> and of building bridges with balandas (white people).
>
> It took twelve years for all the custodians to agree. Familiar with the
> pitfalls of just working with men, I designed the program so that women
> and
> families were very much involved. Knowing of me, communities the length
> of
> the Top End asked to be included.
>
> We started with a little funding from the NT Government and binoculars
> donated by Birding Aussers.
>
> Then the funding was dropped. Despite my 25 years as a guide/lecturer
> and
> the elders' thousands of years of incremental knowledge, we were deemed
> "unqualified" to train. And as I expected the new push for birdwatching
> tourism in the Top End didn't include me.
>
> However, my relatives have continued to approach me, and now we're
> thinking
> of starting again. So if you're interested, hold onto your binoculars
> for a
> little while. I'll be going to Arnhem Land in May or June.
> Regards
>
> Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
> 1/7 Songlark Street
> BAKEWELL NT 0832
> Ph. 61 08 89 328306
> Birdwatching and Indigenous tourism consultant
>
>> www.denisegoodfellow.com
> http://web.mac.com/goodfellowdl
>> http://www.earthfoot.org
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baby-dreaming
> http://www.ausbird.com
>
>
>
>
>
> on 9/4/08 1:44 PM, Michelle Plant at wrote:
>
>> Judith et al...
>>
>> I sent a direct message to Greg, noting that I know of a fellow
> working on a
>> program to encourage young birders in Australia. I will send him an
> email and
>> see if we cannot get something happening.
>>
>> Surely there might be a group servicing discount and maybe an
> organisation
>> that would help co-ordinate and fund this exciting venture!
>>
>> Michelle
>> ==============================www.birding-aus.org
>> birding-aus.blogspot.com
>>
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