I found Lowitja O’Donoghue’s biography on the library shelf.

Fifth child of a Pitjantjatjara woman Lily and first generation Catholic Irishman Tom O’Donoghue.

Lowitja was born in 1932, on country north west of Oodnadatta.

The first aboriginal nurse in South Australia; tireless advocate and public servant; inaugural ATSIC Chair.

Australian of the Year in 1984.

Her biography charts the struggle for Aboriginal rights through the 20th century.

A welcome education before the Voice To Parliament referendum.

One more partial attempt to bridge a gulf between worlds.

It’s source, the Uluru Statement From The Heart asks for considerably more – for Voice, Treaty and Truth.

Australia again avoids wholehearted commitment to resolving the injustice of ‘terra nullius’.

I ask myself why?

Strip away the sophistry and politics and the obvious issue is always economic.

The fear of money flowing from white pockets to black hands.

Which leads me to ponder …

What if the richest Australians weren’t a pair of mining magnates from Western Australia.

What if instead our wealthiest citizens were First Nations people.

Treaty

Maori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi on 6th February 1840.

In 1988 Prime Minister Bob Hawke promised a Treaty by the end of that term of parliament.

Yothu Yindi created a worldwide hit in 1991 with their protest song ‘Treaty‘.

Sydney Leadership Formation

The next opportunity is a mid-year intake, starting late July or August.

I welcome expressions of interest and referrals.

PS: It’s not a closing down sale, but fair warning I’ve got maybe a decade left in me!