Sophie,

You prove the "ass" in assumption..

I am not Celia's husband ... indeed not related to her in any way.

Reading your lurid comments it is easy to understand your position on Pilger.  Thoughtful people don't give his writings the time of day.

I rest my case.

Oh dear, she's delusional again. I can assure you Sageman/Axel is not the husband of Celia. I have met her husband and there is no way he would be adding remarks on this site. I know an excellent book for you to read by Dale Carnegie,  

On the topic you started Hola we hubby and I were chatting to a friend Mary, she is from South Sudan, we asked her what was her biggest problem here in Australia where she has lived down for 17 years.

Her reply was 'skin'.

Also trying to control her five children, due to the laws Australia has.

We spoke about the Aboriginal children in the north west of WA where my husband lived and worked for 8/9 years.

She said the Aboriginal children do not show respect these days for their elders.

Look at the news out of WA these last few months, the children steal private vehicles and the run riot with them and smash into the Police Cars.  I am not sure if this news has got to NSW or Victoria yet but it is in our news here in Perth.

The parent's have no say in discipline their children these days, Mary said it is hard for her too looking after five children especially with black skin.

I agree with her I can see the same with children and they don't have black skin.  We had a bit of a giggle and chatted more about the issue, but she is happier here in WA than where she came from South Sudan.

Going back a few years like 40, a family we had made friends with were like us professionals, the father had two degrees one as a Civil Engineer like my husband and also an Architect.    One of the family had married into a family of Aboriginal and when they came to live in the city the mother took her children to Primary School, when the Principal asked for the mother to pay a fee to the children's costing her reply was 'she doesn't need to she is Aboriginal'  which took the family for a bit of a shock and I guess the Principal too.  It turned out that these children didn't often turn up for their daily education either.  Much to the horror of the new relations.

Another instant I know first hand was our wedding celebrant years ago;  his son was a manager of a Aboriginal Settlement up in the north west of WA.   He told of stories where vehicles were left in the dirt and not repaired by the Indigenous brothers, then they put their hands up for a new Land Cruiser!  All care of the Tax Payers.

It would be better if those Aboriginal people had been taught to learn the way of repairing these Land Cruisers and learn the value of money and the cost of items that they use.   It was a real insight to how these manager had been trying to manage his section of the community.  I am sure it still continues today sadly, but it sure needs to stop and these Indigenous brothers be taught to help themselves.

Celia, many years ago I attended a conference at which were indigenous members.  After which a few informally discussed such issues.  They said that the white man had taken away the authority of their men, which was traditionally very strong. They said their men had been " emasculated" and displaced. 

If one looks at some of the tribal laws, such tribes were very "law abiding".

To digress for a moment. One tribe I am aware of determined that the elderly, young children and pregnant women ate first before any others once a hunt was over.

Discipline was often maintained within a tribe by the method of spearing in the thigh.

From HOLA

I don't know about anybody else but I am getting sick and tired having to apologise to the indigenous people. It has already been done by ex-Prime Minister Keving Rudd . I watched with interest the Indigenous rugby league players against the New Zealand Maori. They both did their war-dances and proceeded to play the game. Before every event now in Australia the indigenous people have to be honoured and then apologising for the stolen generation????? If you see an American Football game, we don't  hear them  thanking the Sioux Indians for letting them use their land. I am saying this with toungue in cheek as it now seems to be all too much. There is a school near my home where an huge aboriginal painting and the flag has been erected in the playground. Now the Premier of NSW has said the aboriginal flag will fly on the Harbour Bridge. I'd like to hear YLC members give their thoughts on this subject. 

-------------------------------------------

Here are my thoughts on your question HOLA,  I have found them to be very forgiving, especially after the way the British treated them, what scum they were, they would have done a LOT better had they thought ---

--- "Gee these people seem to have done well let US learn from THEM"  ---      instead they slaughtered them and used them up as slaves, they did and STILL are treating them with disrespect.

Sure they have their war dances and such but we also have our songs and such as well and our  " AUSTRALIA DAY" etc etc we also blow up dig up their very important sites -- allow bombs to be dropped on THEIR land (while they were still there)

Why shouldn't they have their flag on the bridge but the Premier says it will take 18 months to get a flag pole up well they have had over 200 years FHS!

No, they never thanked the Sioux Indians, as they are another indigenous race that has been treated appallingly, as well as the Negros in America, it makes one ashamed to be of the white race! 

So there are MY thoughts

Thank you for those wonderful, caring thoughts PlanB. How I wish there were more like you in this world.

People with great hearts, who appreciate and respect the Indigenous races of the world. You are indeed a credit to our society.

PlanB,

Your comments are completely valid.

Saying "sorry" is not enough. Saying "sorry" is easy.

There has to be  corresponding action.

Tree-mendous! Scientists create the world's largest family tree linking 27 MILLION people around the world 

Developed at the University of Oxford, the new genealogical network reveals how individuals across the world are related to each other in 'unprecedented detail'.