Asked to contribute to our regular feature in which community leaders share their voting intentions in the coming referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament, Noosa councillor TOM WEGENER reflects on his childhood and shares a lovely story from a wise old lady.
I grew up in a beautiful part of southern California called Palos Verdes Estates.
Centuries before that time there was a Native American tribe called the Tongva living on the land that made up the estates. I was taught nothing of their culture and knew them only by name. In my 33 years in California, I only got to know one person of Native American heritage.
Since coming to Noosa in 1998, I have learned about the Native American culture. I believe that in my younger years I missed out on developing my own world view and identity because of my lack of education and public knowledge of Native Americans.
Through my surfing adventures in Hawaii, I have studied the ancient surfboards and the society that created them. We have much to learn from ancient Hawaiian farming techniques – for 800 years before Cook’s arrival, the island’s natural assets were productive and well managed by the Hawaiians – and from their society. For example, there is no word for orphan in their language because the notion of a child without parents was unthinkable in their communities.
I feel that we as Australians are incredibly fortunate that our First Nations peoples have been so resilient and protective of their culture. I believe their world view and perspective is valuable to all of us.
The question posed to us in the referendum is simply this: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”
Yes! I do and I look forward to hearing their voice.
I would like to close with a passage from a family history by the late Gladys Brasen, mother of my friend John Brasen (editor of Pacific Longboard Magazine) about their family’s times living in a small community in Alice Springs in the early 1950s.
Gladys wrote warmly of her close friendships and associations with the Aboriginal community:
‘Something I have often thought about was the nice old chap who had been staying at The Bungalow for some months. I saw him one day near our place walking up and down, up and down… I went out to see if he wanted something. As I was talking to him a tall young man arrived, about 30 years old, very clean-cut, and a stranger to me. They made a great fuss over each other. The old fellow said, “I been waiting him, missus. Jack good fella, same skin as me. He come to take me home. I sing him to come.” Jack told me they came from out near the Hermannsburg Mission, and the old fellow was too old to go back by himself. There had been no trucks from our place going out that way and no other way I know of that a message could have been sent. I have often wondered how the old man knew that Jack was nearly there and was ready and waiting for him. I don’t understand how this “singing” was done, and can only tell what was told to me, and I did sometimes see the results of this apparent mental telepathy. The Aborigines with their Dreaming knew many things that were beyond us.’
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www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-19/fact-check-yes-no-campaign-pamphlets-
