Spend your money wisely. Originally dispatched on 24 September 2014
¿Que tal amigos?
To those that read last week’s Dispatch, let me inform you that I received an acceptable explanation of what I saw. On that occasion I did not witness a legally sanctioned crime.
That doesn’t leave the system that systematically (as systems do) remove Aboriginal children from their families off the hook. And yes I’m aware that “child welfare” results in many non-Aboriginal families and welfare officers also being traumatised by attempts at solving complex social problems with pragmatic/bureaucratic/legalistic “solutions”. Not quite throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but moving it to a distant bath with unfamiliar water, and leaving behind an empty bath. The return path from the distant bath to the empty bath is studded with often insurmountable hurdles of perception and value judgements..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNXbwhW7NIg Lucky Dube’s “Respect” …. Watch it … a familiar story.
In hindsight I am very glad that I chose to study geology. The mineral and oil exploration industry was an exciting and interesting endeavour to be part of. I have no way of knowing to what extent it still is exciting and interesting, but there has been a significant paradigm shift. Geology is more than just a science, an exploration geologist could let his or her imagination take flight as to where that elusive ore body might be hiding. Many colleagues read books and played music or created art or were otherwise far from dull. Yes, certain pragmatic parameters were applied, such as maximum information per dollar, prioritising drill sites so as to increase the chances of paying off for those that provided your bread and butter. All the same the name of the game was to be creative at trying to find the next El Dorado. Being a member of an exploration team was just as satisfying as being a member of an orchestra or a volleyball team. These days the imperative is to be creative at creating “shareholder wealth” and there are “stakeholders” that shuffle “capital” and “investments” around, barely noticing the beauty of an unconformity or an exposed anticline or cross bedding, or a drill core containing sulphides or the bright green fluorescence under ultraviolet light of oil staining on a porous sandstone fragment lifted by drilling mud from a few kilometres below the surface. Dollars per tonne is all they care for. Price transference and tax minimisation let alone corruption and greed are the order of the day.
One need only look at one example, the Zambian Copper belt. Zambia is “blessed” by the world’s 9th richest copper deposits, yet 64% of its population lives on less than a dollar a day.
Budgeting was not part of a university Geology course. Frugality was taught to us by parents and grandparents that had gone through a depression and a world war. “ A stitch in time saves nine”, “penny wise and pound foolish” “waste not want not”, we old fossils all knew the meaning of these.
A few days ago the NT Government released a Media Release: “Improving safety in Central Australian communities”:
A Central Australia construction company has won the $7.6 million contract to build a state of the art new Police Station in Yuendumu.
“The existing Police station in Yuendumu is being demolished and replaced with a modern complex that includes a multi-function room for use as a community meeting venue, three new Police houses and four, one bedroom visiting officer quarters.”
A moot point in that at the rate Yuendumu people are being incarcerated the new meeting venue may not be all that well patronised even if everyone decides to no longer to use existing meeting facilities. Certainly those with a warrant out for them are not very likely to use the multi-function room!
I don’t know why the politicians chose not to make this exciting announcement here in Yuendumu (an interstate friend passed it onto me). Surely they would have enjoyed the spontaneous outburst of dancing in the streets such would have elicited! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGpgkCE41x8
As I mentioned Budgeting was not part of my studies, but let me try none the less:
Reintroduce bilingual education at Yuendumu School … $650,000
Support the setting up of a Homeland support organisation at Yuendumu…. $1,500,000
A fighting fund to pay for the legal costs of Yuendumu people that wish to have their children returned by “Child Protection” ……$450,000
Funding for a trial period for Yuendumu Council to be reinstated and run its functions locally instead of from Alice Springs ……$1,000,000
Funding to run the Yuendumu Pool for the next three years so the current operators don’t have to get out the begging bowl…..$500,000
Set up a Yuendumu Housing Association to gradually get all tenancy and maintenance contracts currently being outsourced …….. $1,500,000
Re- establish WYN Health (Willowra/Yuendumu/Nyirrpi Health) to increasingly take on a role in local health initiatives. ….. $1,000,000
Support the PAW Media (aka Warlpiri Media) cultural centre …..$500,000
Fund the Yuendumu Social Club to get out of debt and once again become a profitable locally owned and managed organisation …….$500,000
Total $7.6 million
As I said Budgeting was not part of my studies. As is so famously repeated in the film ‘The Castle’….. “tell him he’s dreaming”.
Another song of Freedom…Bob Marley….Redemption Song….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFGgbT_VasI
Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfjon-ZTqzU
Hasta la proxima. Que les valla bien.
Franklin