Stan Grant made a stir yesterday by claiming amongst other things to change the writing on Captain Cook's statue as he did not discover Australia.
He was both right and wrong. Yes The Australian continent was inhabited before Cook found it however one could scarcely call Aboriginal inhabitance civilisation. No towns or cities for a start. They lived hither and thither. It could be accurately called primitive.
Cook claimed the land on behalf of the Crown but when he did he had no idea of the vastness of the continent.We afterall did not become a Nation until well after Phillip's foray with convicts and others.
This is the main reason why January 26 is highly inappropriate for Australia day. It was on January 1 we became a nation so lets us be accurate and celebrate it on the right day please.We were not a nation on January 26!
Let us be clear. Grant is not talking about taking down statues. In the USA it is entirely appropriate and sensible in some cases. The Confederate statues were mostly put up in the early 20th Century. They were put up by Governments that wanted to subjugate the Negroes. They did this by using terrorists to do their dirty work. The statues celebrate people who did not want a USA at all. I find it very ironic that white nationalists want to praise traitors which in essence what the Confederates were.
I am all for a better understanding of history.Sometimes what we are told is not correct. The Report on the Stolen Generations for example was a complete fraud. As Ron Brunton pointed out at the time ( why oh why do alleged rightwingers use the highly discredited Keith Windshuttle and not Ron Brunton) most aboriginals who were took form their parents were taken for their safety. They were of mixed blood and were threatened by fullblooded aboriginals. Moreover the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Deaths in Custody examined quite a few cases of people being stolen and did not find one case!
I can't say I am all that enthused about finding out about what people did before the White man came here. I am happy for others to read all about it but I prefer to read about civilisations.
We do have a large responsibility however to assist the Aboriginal race in life.They are for the most part highly under privileged. We spend a lot of money yet see no benefit.
THAT is the disgrace we see in Australia. Perhaps Stan should concentrate on that!
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