Greetings, B-aus subscribers,
If you have access to the "Weekend Australian" newspaper for Aug 2 - 3, have
a look at "This Life" on p 2 of the "Review" lift-out. This week's column
is by the Northern Territory ornithologist, Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow.
Denise is, or was, a b-aus subscriber.
Aboriginal people in Arnhem Land wished to enter the tourist industry.
Denise was trying to help them via government funded workshops, building on
their unique knowledge of the wildlife of the region.
With the modern tourist industry, some acquaintance with computers and the
internet is just about essential, but one Aboriginal elder told Denise he
was too stupid to learn ... until Denise's teenage son took him in hand. An
hour later, according to Denise, he was "typing with 10 fingers and
beaming". That's the happy part. (I've long realised that if one has a
computer problem, look for a teenager to help!)
The sad part is that the work has ceased because the government department
has withdrawn the funding on the grounds that Denise and colleagues are not
qualified to teach!
Denise doesn't say, but I surmise that it is a Northern Territory government
department that she refers to. I can't imagine the Rudd government being so
short-sighted.
Cheers
Syd
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