Reconciliation Week- Lets Talk Recognition

Reconciliation week starts every year on the 27 May the anniversary of the referendum of 1967 that saw Aboriginal people gain their rights as Australian citizens. The week finishes on the date that commemorates the Mabo decision a landmark court case in Aboriginal Land Rights.

It was a great pleasure and privilege to this week be able to perform the opening of Sholahven City Councils Reconciliation Week contribution with the Pallingjang - Saltwater exhibition that has been hung in the foyer of the Council administration building at Nowra.

Check out Reconciliation Australias website it has great activities for young people and the young at heart.

This is a copy of the speach I gave for the begining of Reconciliation Week- thanks to input by Margaret Simoes Councils Aboriginal Community Development worker.

Good morning all and welcome to Shoalhaven City Council, It is with the deepest respect that I acknowledge all the Aunts and Uncles, elders past and present custodians of the land on which we gather. I acknowledge the suffering and pain that has occurred in the past and still today with our Aboriginal sisters and brothers in the Northern Territory and Torres Strait. I welcome all Aboriginal people here and value your contribution to contemporary life and your commitment to passing on your unique and ancient cultural heritage.



• It’s a great pleasure and privilege to open The Pallingjang- Saltwater 2009 Exhibition as part of Councils contribution to Reconciliation Week. This years theme “Lets Talk Recognition” gives us all an opportunity to yarn about our hopes and aspirations. To recognise and acknowledge the contribution Aborignal people have made to Australian, and particularly to the Shoalhaven. We need to make sure that topics such as Constitutional Recognition and a Treaty are given the opportunity to be front and centre.


• I would like to start that conversation by saying that I hope we can gather here again to continue to build strong and trusting relationships, not just in Reconciliation Week, but ongoing throughout the year.


• Australia has seen 44 referendums with only 8 of them carried- making the 1967 referendum monumental for Aboriginal People and reflects the sentiment of the nation. It is imperative that we work together for the outcome that Aboriginal people desire not that of the state.


• I see this exhibition as a way to build relationships within our community. Many people pass through the doors of this building who might not ordinarily go to a gallery. Surely they will be struck as I was when I first saw the collection hung and be drawn to stop, breath for a moment and admire the visual feast before them.


• I acknowledge the significance of the Aboriginal name ‘Pallingjang’ meaning ‘saltwater’ in Tharawal language; it is a fitting name for works from the coast. Some of the works you can see the coastal inspiration reflected.


• The Exhibition, originally curated by Wollongong City Gallery in 2009, recognises local Aboriginal knowledge, traditionally translated orally, that now has been transferred into something visual.

• While the Pallingjang - Saltwater 2009 included artists from the entire South Coast Region, the artworks selected for this Reconciliation Week Exhibition presents six artists from the immediate Shoalhaven area:






o Julie Freeman,


o Loretta Parsley,


o Steven Russell,


o Mally Smart,


o Jodie Stewart and


o Phyllis Stewart.






• Thank you all for sharing your works with us, I know the feeling of having a little piece of you on exhibition for all to see- it creates a certain type of nerves, excitement and apprehension all rolled into one.


• Since 1995 the Pallingjang project has provided a forum for the exploration of local and South Coast Aboriginal art and culture.


• The project has developed and evolved over the years through an insistence on consultation and collaboration and through the concerted effort, contributions and dedication of the many artists, curators and Wollongong City Gallery staff who have worked on the project.


• I would like to officially launch the Pallingjang – Saltwater 2009 Exhibition in as part of our celebration for Reconciliation Week. I hope that this years Reconciliation Week gets the important conversations fired up.


Thank you and please join me for morning tea.

Husky Tattoo Shop- called in by Council

So lets get things straight. I don't have anything against Tattoos or Tattoo parlours OK. Most of my friends have ink and when Ulladulla had a parlour it wasn't a seedy joint- just a bloke having a go at what he did well. Tattoos are no longer the mark of sailors, whores or tribal folk but a modern day expression of wearable art.

Ancient and tribal art.

Modern day works of art thanks to Angel Wings Tattoo web site.

So with that said- why did I 'call in ' for the determination of Council an application for a Tattoo parlour at Husky? Firstly its my job- community have concerns over the application its my duty to address the concerns and the best way to address them is to have the application scrutinized by the Council. For if the application suits the zoning, crosses all the Ts and Dots the Is then there really shouldn't be a problem.

For the applicant it slows down the process a little as it has to go to development committee and to full Council, but in Tim Fletchers words 'At the end of the day' if the applicant has done all the right things can hold his head high and say his application was put under maximum scrutiny and passed the test.

As for me- well I don't think I will be the first customer at the new parlour if it gets the go ahead- I like my ink free body just the way it is at the moment thanks very much.

Tallowa Pipeline- Stealing water from Shoalhaven for a Uranium Mine WTF!

Last Tuesday council agreed to support my motion condemning the Tallowa Pipeline proposal. This idea has been around for a little while now as it first came to my attention at the beginning of 2010 when it was supposed to solve the problem of dry western towns like Cobar- by pumping the water that goes over the spill way out west. In its most recent incarnation the Tallowa Pipe Line Proposal is suppose to send Shoalhaven water via the Murray Darling to Roxby Downs and the Olympic Dam mining project.

Tallowa with its newly constructed fish lift thanks to Sydney Catchment Authority

Rally on previous plans to pipe water and lift the height of the wall thanks to SMH

So I thought it was time to act- Mr Smith needs to know  now that the people of Shoalhaven are very hostile towards his idea and its time he just dropped the notion.

For sending rivers inland is not a new ideas people have been trying it for thousands of years and all we manage to do is to destroy ecosystems and build communities on an unsustainable water source.

The water that over tops the Tallowa dam or gets let out is for environmental flows that the river depends on for its own resilience and yes here it is....with the effects of climate change meaning that we will have drier spells ahead we need to place even more value on the resilience of the river and of course the need for it to serve humanity.

There are so many organisms within the Shoalhaven ecosystem that are reliant on fresh water as well as salt for their growth and reproduction- just ask the oyster growers association if they would appreciate their lively hoods messed with by taking the so called 'extra' water.

One Councillor Nigel Soames declared my motion UN Australian for not sharing water with others who needed it- Clr Soames last time I checked Australia was acting pretty un Australian towards asylum seekers so that is totally the wrong argument for me! Maybe if Clr Soames turned up to more of Council briefings  and meeting etc he would get a much better grip on reality.

I did an interview with WIN TV on the issue which aired on Thursday night so at least the issue has got an airing beyond the Shoalhaven.

Politicians far and wide will be receiving a letter soon from Council not supporting the proposal and so to will the Murray -Darling Basin authority- so hopefully for now the issue has been drowned :)

Me, Myself, I

When I take a break from blogging there is always a reason and the last few months have been a frenzy of activity -from elections, to day to day Council, returning to study after a six month break, family and of course the farm.
The farm and family end up at the bottom of the priority list basically because they are the most self sufficient and supported part of the mix.
 Thank goodness for family my mum for feeding the youngsters and poppy for feeding the cows when its just not going to happen.
The pace of life is a bit hectic but I can feel the slowing -down -for -winter sensation seeping in with the cold nights I hope I'm not kidding myself too much.
Today I'm in Balmain and attending the bi-monthly Greens conference, the first since the State election. The debate is passionate the topics hot but respect is maintained and people are sticking to the rules of not attacking people. I volunteered to facilitate a fairly feisty session with a record number of delegates attending and observers- It was exhilarating keeping up with the hands raised to go on the speakers list while following the conversations and working the meeting forward.
I value these times as they really are a training ground for managing process. I think though that I need to be more across the constitution but that's something that will have to wait a while with the end of the university semester looming.

I cant believe that there is only 4 or so weeks to go and all the major works due- so its time to read read read as I immerse myself in literature and the NT Intervention.

Fun days ahead........