Reply in our Local Transcontinental News Paper re My NAIDOC Letter

National Holiday

Marvyn McKenzie Senior’s letter to the Editor in The Transcontinental (July 22) would suggest he is certainly not suffering from aponea.

He claims NAIDOC was to lobby the Federal Parliament to enstablish an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Public Holiday.

So that he does not miss out on the celebration, I suggest he get out of bed and join in the already national public holiday.

It’s called Australia Day and it is held on January 26, each year

Signed

Garry Kinnear
Blanche Harbour

FYI

Topic: Sleep Aponea

Description

A sleeping disorder that occurs when the muscles of the throat collapse during sleep, blocking off the windpipe for between a few seconds and up to one minute, until the brain registers the lack of breathing (or a drop in oxygen levels) and sends a small wake-up call to the affected sleeping person.

What my Reply Will Be

An australiaaa day Ode to Gazza
©2009 Walha Udi Marvyn McKenzie Snr

No disrespect intended to Gazza and me Fellow White Australiaaans,
Mate, australiaaa day is only for you English Mob and not us, We Aborigine,
For to us Black Australiaaans, australiaaa day is called Invasion Day
The day the English invaded, stole and dispossessed us of our Ancient Lands illegally.

For over 70 years now we Black Australiaaans have always said to our Fellow Australiaaans,
Change the 26 of January australiaaa day Public Holiday,
For we and others do not like what the day represents to we Aborigine,
Other White Australiaaans and non-White Australiaaans also agree that the day needs to go away.

For example Australiaaan Rules Football Legend Ron Barassi himself once said:
‘It was wrong to celebrate the day of the European invasion of Australiaaa
When “we took” this land from the Aborigines,’
Thus Gazza me Mate, australiaaa day will always be seen by some as a bloody utter failure.

As for me Gazza me Mate, I prefer you and your mob to keep australiaaa day,
As it is your special day to show some Cronulla aussie, aussie, aussie oi oi pride and fun,
But fair bloody go Gazza me Mate, gives us black-fellas our own Public Holiday,
So we can also honour our Ancestors and have our own special day in the sun

Australiaaans have all so soon forgotten quite a simple little fact,
In Australiaaa there are three nations of peoples living under the Australiaaan Sun,
Aboriginals, Torres Strait Islanders and all others,
This was clearly bloody stated in our pre-1967 Australiaaan Constitution

So next year Gazza me Mate as you and Me Fellow White Australiaaans,
Stand every 26 January to celebrate australiaaa day and you all shout a mighty cheer,
Think of poor little black-fella me, laying suffering in me bed from the dreaded Apnoea,
For you will then not hear me gasp out: ‘What a foolish bloody mob we have here’

Walha Udi Marvyn McKenzie Snr
Port Augusta

Am I Racist Against Me Fellow Australians?

Three Australian Distinct Peoples Flags

‘Am I Racist Against Me Fellow Australians?
©2009 Walha Udi Marvyn McKenzie Snr

A recent tit for tat dialogue with a facebook user,
has made me question my values, beliefs, mind and heart
‘Am I a Racist against me Fellow White Australians?’
So thinking about this question: Where do I start?

Well lets start by defining racism – the belief that one’s own race is superior to another,
That physical attributes determine a groups social behavior and intelligence,
Ultimately, the racist believes that the inferiority of others is a basis for inferior social treatment,
Therefore, I cannot be a Racist if by this definition Racism is meant.

Do I think Aboriginal people are superior to White Australians?
No – I do not think the Aboriginal Race is Superior – one way or the other,
I do think the Aboriginal Race are often still seen as Inferior,
But then I ask meself: ‘Why do people want to oppress us & even smother?

What is it about our Aboriginal Race and Identity that makes others tremble so,
For the Australian Governments & People to ignore, oppress and fear?
Is it because we are asserting and pleading our UN Indigenous Rights?,
Is it because we are saying our Race has not died out, these are our Ancient Lands, we are still here?

Why is it that whenever we Aboriginal people assert and plead these historical factual Indigenous Rights,
that our Fellow Australians choose to ignore them through ignorance and bigotry,
They try to say we are all equal now and all are Australians,
Yet they all seem to forget that were always once classed as a separate Race, Constitutionally.

Within the Australian Constitution it was once clearly enshrined and plainly racially stated:
The Parliament shall, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government respect to:
The people of any race, other than the aboriginal race in any State…
Just because this was changed in the 1967 Referendum does not mean the aboriginal race is through.

For are we members of the aboriginal race still not living here in Australia since these changing words?,
Do we now no longer see ourselves as a separate aboriginal race, but part of the Australian Race?
Oops! Sorry to burst your bubble but there is no such thing as an Australian Race,
but there is still a separate aboriginal race in Australia for I see such a race in my grand-child’s face.

My Grand-child, my children, my people and I are descendants of the ‘aboriginal race’,
But we do not call ourselves aboriginal or indigenous – label names from government policy,
We rather use our old Ancient Names to both describe other Australians and ourselves,
Utnyu (corpse, Europeans) what we call white-fellas, whilst our name is Yura – ‘of the Earth’ are we.

‘Am I a Racist against me Fellow White Australians?’
No, for I believe fully in Reconciliation of Australians, Torres Strait Islanders and we the Aborigine,
With such Reconciliation should come mutual recognition, repsect, pride and admiration,
For unless such Reconciliation occurs then there will always be some Australians living here unequally.

But before Reconciliation can occur between Australians, Torres Strait Islander and we Aborigine,
There are many past and present social and poliitical injustices that need to be brought into the light,
Such social and political injustices have created deep wounds and a wide chasm between our Peoples,
Today, it are these injustices that Torres Strait Islanders and we the Aborigine continue to fight.

For we all know fully within all our hearts and minds, including some of our Fellow Australians
That unless these past injuctices are identified, recognised and fully restored in Australia,
Then our Nation will forever remain the poorer for itself, without a true identity and culture,
And the rest of the World will look upon our Nation and will continue to rebuke it has an utter failure.