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Last updated on July 12th, 2017 at 10:54 am
Aboriginal dancers from 500 km east of Darwin perform a uniquely Australian version of Zorba the Greek. Further background here.
I saw that on TV – what a hoot! When are they going to do their own version of Riverdance?
Posted by spot_the_dog on 2007 12 26 at 11:24 PM • permalink
How about Groom Lake?
Actually as mentioned earlier the dude in the center front, ain’t a damn bad dancer.
I understood from the TV segment I saw that this group was formed partly to keep bored young blokes occupied and out of trouble, and to promote healthy lifestyles, fitness and good choices to other young Aborigines.
I hope that this becomes a huge international hit and maybe encourages some Aboriginal youths to copy this sort of thing rather than the black American “Gangsta Rapper” you see so many of them mimicking.
Posted by spot_the_dog on 2007 12 27 at 12:44 AM • permalink
For some reason, I expected the link to be a modern-day version of the stoning of Irene Papas in Zorba the Greek….
Posted by Ted Schuerzinger on 2007 12 27 at 01:06 AM • permalink
All right now that I’ve hadafew; It’s not Mary Poppins either. “Hottentots! Cheeky devils! Give ‘em what for!” Watch out for Admiral Boom. duckandrun
Posted by dean martin on 2007 12 27 at 03:21 AM • permalink
Ant, Antony. Art, Anti-Art. Ica, I can’t think of anything for ica right now. Who’s getting an anti-semitic postcard?
Posted by dean martin on 2007 12 27 at 05:00 AM • permalink
#13 Rod C: Yes, funny that. I nearly bought a house right on Sunset Beach, just behind that carpark, several years ago but didn’t because of the gangs roaming about. The crime-rate there was horrendous.
In this case, Mr Rowe apparently spoke to two young blokes who were stealing beer out of his esky. They left but returned in a group of 25 including children aged 12 and women, as the family was trying to load up the vehicles to leave. One thing is for sure, the local police, who were only two minutes away from reaching the scene, know who these people are and will sort this out pretty quickly.
In contrast, the aboriginal population around Yalgoo held Mr Rowe in high regard and are deeply saddened by his death.
- #18 – in response to the Wadeye tribal warfare, somebody interviewed on the ABC said that we have to treat them equally, and that this means giving these areas more economic activity. Fantasy land!
Shut down townships which are not viable (most of them) and recommend that they move to the city, be re-educated, assimilated, and get jobs. No social security beyond what everyone else (non-indigenous) gets.
The intervention is being bad-mouthed all over, but in truth it is still a weak response to an intractable problem.
We do nobody a favour by lying and robbing them of the means to be a productive, achieving and valued citizen, or at least one who stays out of trouble. Tim some time ago said Nuke! in the face of blind opposition to that. I say Assimilate!
#19 kae: Bloody awful. It seems that Mr Rowe went to the aid of his son-in-law who’d been hit with a large beer bottle, suffering a broken jaw and collar bone – he later needed 36 stitches in his face. One of the attackers grabbed the cricket bat Mr Rowe had just been playing a game of beach cricket with and hit him over the head with it.
The family must have known that there might be some sort of reprisal, because they were trying to get out of there when the mob came back. The two units that the police believe they came from are very close to the scene, so they just didn’t have enough time to escape.
- #22
I did hear reports that Mr Rowe was hit with the bat and killed in the carpark when the families were leaving after the first altercation.Words can’t describe how I feel about violence which seems so common in society now.I’ll bet that whoever hit Mr Rowe with the bat “didn’t mean to kill him”. So I’d like to ask exactly what they expected to happen. The same with the son-in-law, surely that’s the charge equivalent to grievous bodily harm, which is pretty close to attempted murder? They’ll say “we didn’t mean to hurt him”.
Look at the people killed in altercations with bouncers and kids killed in fights.
- #23
It’s Zorba, mehaul, I don’t think it was meant to be original aboriginal dance. I think it was a lark. I read in the newspaper article (or somewhere) that it was an outlet for the kids/youths, sure beats the hell out of sniffing petrol and the ‘gangsta’ rap culture which seems to be infesting many aboriginal communities.I liked it because it was funny. And I thought they were pretty good.Now, dot painting… I just don’t get that*. Give me a landscape or a portrait.
*I understand what they’re about, but they don’t appeal to me.
#21 blogstrop: Have I missed something? What do you mean by “…lying and robbing them…”?
In my time up there I worked with the leading lights of the aboriginal community to set up their own tourism operations. Haven’t heard anything more of that. I was also involved in developing, with TAFE and the Regional Development Commission, a unique program for aboriginal youth to receive on-the-job experience and dedicated training for work in a variety of businesses. Only one finished the course.
People only assimilate when they want to. Some do. Others prefer to take their “sit-down” money and do whatever the hell they please.
I think blogstrop means the lie that Aboriginal communities can have everything facilities-wise that the large towns or cities have, including employment in real jobs. I think the robbing them is that this lie robs them of the drive to make something of their lives… as sit down money does.
But I could be wrong.
As usual, the MSM is pussyfooting around the racial aspect of this horrendous bashing and murder in Geraldton.
Why am I not surprised?
Despite the amusing spectacle of traditional dance troupes mocking Zorba the Greek, not too many people in Yalgoo, Sunset Beach in Geraldton, or WA in general are laughing too loudly.
Posted by Pedro the Ignorant on 2007 12 27 at 07:46 AM • permalink
#25 Thanks Kae. My wife insists I need moderating influences. Anything that occupies indolent youth is fine by me.
There is an impressive rationale behind the ‘dot’ paintings. A Catholic Priest who lived for years in Port Agutter explained it to me and I was very much taken in by it all. A pity it isn’t more easily understood by the general public as it is very interesting and original.
My detailed memory aint that good but if anyone knows the basics it would be worthwhile sharing.
Dot painting
There are several theories on the origination of the dot-style of painting. One theory is that they imitate the markings for the ground ceremonial paintings. These ephemeral works are fashioned out of daubed dots of ochres and bird down and other materials. Spinifex, bushes, shrubs and other clumped grasses form a dot-like pattern across the desert landscape resulting in a dotted landscape when viewed from above. The Aboriginal views his country – his ancestral sites – from this aerial perspective.
re zorba – Front 2 guys on left and centre screen knew a bit, rest just copied – but was cool.
re cricket bat death – Very sad way – disgusting really.
dot painting – I understand it, but not much has taken my fancy – some fo the larger ones are quite good – some of the weird ones just look like shit.
happy end of 2007!
Aw, that’s just a hat tip to Greek dance and longstanding ideals of democracy in the culture wars.
But honestly, how can we sleep while our beds are burning? Move on to the next step, infidels. All the lands throughout the world are Dar al Islam.
Pay the jizya… $ay $orry and give the djinn their uranium-rich land back. It’s the natural succession plan, god willing, toward building mosques with environmentally guilt free new money.
The cricket bat death in Geraldton is a horrible story.
There is no doubt in my mind that young aborigines are more dangerously violent and out of control than ever before.
These days in Darwin and in the Territory generally violent crime involving aboriginal youth is a regular news story.
In my view many aborigines are increasingly going backward in the direction of their primitive roots instead of forging a path forward in the direction of the white fella.
#27 kae: Ummhhh… Can’t say I’ve ever heard of promises to provide all facilities and industries in remote communities.
In any case, Geraldton is far from a remote community. It’s a coastal, regional city four hour’s drive north of Perth with a population of around 50+ thousand. It has a wide variety of big industries, huge commercial areas, TAFE, university, hospitals. No lack of opportunity there for those who want it.
The huge increase in the indigineous population occured several years ago after the state government – in its infinite wisdom – shut down departments and agencies in country towns centralising them in the regional hubs. Banks followed suit – no public servants to swell local populations – no viability. Then, Centrelink decided to make payments only through bank accounts. Presto! – influx into the regional centres.
They’ll say “we didn’t mean to hurt him”.
You can bet the house on that, though I doubt there’d be any takers. Surely there’s no one left on earth who doesn’t know that head injuries, however acquired, kill.
I think that the “promise” is implied, not that it’s actually been made. It seems to be something that many aboriginal communities cannot fathom. They can’t have the facilities like the big smoke, they don’t seem to comprehend why. I think the comment about the problems was the current rioting in Wadeye. (but I could still be wrong)
The human body is so fragile. If you hit someone anywhere there is the chance that you can really harm them, even kill them. It’s the “I didn’t mean to kill him when I hit him on the head with the cricket bat…” line which makes me angry.
I’d like to ask just exactly what the person who hit him with the cricket bat expected to happen.
Then there’s the “I was drunk so I didn’t realise what I was doing.” excuse, too.
“Had a bad childhood.” and “Came from a broken/violent home.”Sure. These excuses shouldn’t be used to mitigate murder or any assault.
There is no doubt in my mind that young aborigines are more dangerously violent and out of control than ever before.
[…]In my view many aborigines are increasingly going backward in the direction of their primitive roots instead of forging a path forward in the direction of the white fella.
In country NSW, regional WA, and here in Perth I have noticed over many years, in the indigenous young in particular, there is an attitude of entitlement to do anything they damn-well please. They think that they are entitled to enter houses, businesses, vehicles at any time by any means, take anything, demand what they want, commit any level of violence, all without a second thought. They have no fear, and no conscience.
On the other hand, I have adult aboriginal friends who are sickened by the antics of the younger generations. Their own children are paying mortgages, working for what they want, some still at uni, just getting on with raising their own families – putting up with no nonsense in attitude, language or behaviour. I don’t really want to repeat the words they use to describe the “others”. Let’s just say they deeply despise them.
Frankly, I think that the prevailing sense of entitlement, and its resulting behaviour, are taught, or at least actively encouraged, by the white do-gooders who rely on the aboriginal industry they’ve created for their own motives and purposes. There is no hope for the younger aboriginal generations unless the lefty social workers (e.g. those who returned the 10 y o pack-rape victim to the same environment) are ripped out of the system. Their ideology is poisoning any hope for the people they are supposed to be helping to a better life.
I think that the “promise” is implied, not that it’s actually been made. It seems to be something that many aboriginal communities cannot fathom. They can’t have the facilities like the big smoke, they don’t seem to comprehend why. I think the comment about the problems was the current rioting in Wadeye. (but I could still be wrong)
Sorry, kae. I hadn’t heard anything about what’s happening in Wadeye, so I’m at a loss on that one. Is it about expectations v reality? I’m guessing this is a remote community where they just want to be left alone to follow the traditional ways but, at the same time, expect all modern facilities for their convenience, and investment by industry to provide jobs they’re not equipped to do?
I’d like to ask just exactly what the person who hit him with the cricket bat expected to happen.
Then there’s the “I was drunk so I didn’t realise what I was doing.” excuse, too.
“Had a bad childhood.” and “Came from a broken/violent home.”Oh, don’t get me started. I think it was here in WA that a bloke is appealing a driving conviction (it’s getting late, forgive me if I haven’t got it exactly right but you’ll get the gist) for killing (?) someone else in a collision because he was asleep at the time and therefore is not responsible for what happened.
Normal people have never accepted these excuses but, clearly, courts are not populated by normal people. Insterad we get do-gooder idealogues who know better than the rest of us. NOT!
I enjoyed the dance video very much. How did this turn into a discussion of murder? If I were one of these dancers I’d be pissed off that people would take the occasion of viewing my dance routine as a reason to discuss murder.
Posted by Dave in Chicago on 2007 12 27 at 04:23 PM • permalink
Oh, don’t get me started.
I’m the same!
I only heard last night that there had been three or four days of rioting in Wadeye – I haven’t been watching the news while I’ve been on holidays. Recent Wadeye riot – 27/12/07.
- SandiM
I saw something on the shorts for one of those 6:30-7pm programmes about this.
If you are charged with drink driving and causing an accident and if you were asleep* when it happened suddenly you’re not responsible!*Or say you were asleep.It’s been done before.
I thought it might be from Mellville Island, but no, Elcho Island.
Not sure about the ballet though. I notice Zorba appears to be the white guy.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 12 27 at 06:40 PM • permalink
Hey, Dave Wayne, next time I’m in Darwin, we should go for a beer.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 12 27 at 06:43 PM • permalink
#17, Dean Martin, The Institute for Contemporary Arts. An organisation that belongs right with your list of other worthies 🙂
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 12 27 at 06:47 PM • permalink
#21 Blogstrop, I agree with you and also for Canada. The left will object about racialism, colonialism, and general just-plain-any-ism, but they do not recognize some facts:
vis: The abos did not live in some Russeauian paradise. They killed, slaughtered, raped and pediophiled at will; the strongest getting away with it. Spearing and death of children common.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 12 27 at 06:51 PM • permalink
Ooops, in the last post, I forgot Media Watch and the Canadian Human Rights Commissars. They are haters of genuine liberalism.
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 12 27 at 06:53 PM • permalink
Re Geraldton, from The West Australian.
Police were ‘told of beach strife’
“Questions have emerged about how long it took police to arrive at the Geraldton beach where a father of five was bashed to death on Christmas Day, with a family friend claiming yesterday that officers were told trouble was brewing 30 minutes before the deadly attack.
“After Mr Neil was bashed, the Rowe family were trying desperately to rush him to hospital but were suddenly surrounded by a group of up to 25, including women and children as young as 12, in the beach carpark.”
“Mr Morrissey said Mrs Rowe tried to reason with the group and defuse the situation. “She said something like ‘you get your family and go and I’ll get mine and go’,” he said. It is believed a woman in the group called the family “white c…s” and said they were in for a bashing. It is understood that members of the offending group were about to attack an injured Mr Neil again, when Mr Rowe stepped in but was hit once from behind.”
——————–
Does the fact that this white family was racially taunted before being beaten make this a “hate crime” or “racist crime”? Imagine the outcry in the media if the situation had been reversed.Posted by spot_the_dog on 2007 12 27 at 10:11 PM • permalink
Abuse is nothing out of the ordinary in Geraldton, spot.(#54)
It is a daily occurrence every day before lunchtime, ten times a day after lunch when the grog has taken over, and pretty well an endless stream on pension day.
Don’t know about after dark, because nobody in their right mind would be on foot in Geraldton after dark.
Posted by Pedro the Ignorant on 2007 12 27 at 10:27 PM • permalink
Also notable in the Geraldton murder is that the victim worked to help aboriginal people in his community.
Mr Anderson described Mr Rowe, the husband of Yalgoo’s deputy president Ellen Rowe, as a quiet, very happy man and a good Christian who was always ready to help others in the community.
White c’s indeed.
Pedro, for all that we’re supposed to be such a “racist” country, I have heard far more racial epithets directed at whites than I have directed at Aborigines. It just bugs me that if the situation were reversed (gang of whites calls Aboriginal family “black c__ts!” and attacks them, killing one of them, the press would be all over it.
Posted by spot_the_dog on 2007 12 27 at 10:43 PM • permalink
Aaah my old home town in the news again. A little background for those who havent had the pleasure.
2 of my cousins have been bashed and robbed in the last 6 months leaving the nightclub in Gero. There is a group of Aboriginals that hunt in packs of about 20 near the nightclub, you never walk home unless you are in a decent sized group.
Another friend of mine whos currently a copper in town despairs at never seeing any deterrent sentences given out by the local magistrate.
In addition he has attended “cot deaths” where the child has been malnourished, riddled with scabies and badly looked after. Quite plainly these have bugger all to do with cot death but are written off as such because of the offending parents background.One suburb of geraldton (rangeway) was notorious for years as it had nearly all homewest (government low income housing) tenants in the area. It was basically a ghetto, then our wonderful state government decided to sell these and house the trouble-making families in other, generally low income areas. (following the lefty mantra of “its because there in a shithole area they are bad”, rather than the much more logical “its a shithole because they make it one”)
Result being violence and theft which was confined to a slum is now spread out over about 4 suburbs, all of which are rapidly going downhill.Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 12 27 at 11:16 PM • permalink
A longish excerpt from the WA Hansard shows this problem has been brewing for a long time, the sense of grievance and entitlement bred by this ridiculous apology industry will see much more blood shed in Gero.
People will not venture into certain areas in the city of Geraldton on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday nights, particularly in the nightclub districts.
Dr G.I. Gallop interjected.Mr J.P.D. EDWARDS: The Premier needs to listen to this.
Dr G.I. Gallop interjected.
Mr J.P.D. EDWARDS: I am sorry, but I have only seven minutes in which to speak so the Premier will have to bear with me. This is a delicate matter. People have voiced their opinions to me on this issue on so many occasions that it is important that it be raised.
In general the youths are groups of Aboriginal children aged 13 to 20 years. The best expression that I can use to describe them is “criminally motivated”. I will qualify that statement so that members understand what I mean. The Attorney General has just talked about organised crime and local bikies. I concur with what he said. A line has been taken against local bikie gangs. However, we still have a local bikie gang in Geraldton. They find it easy pickings to sell amphetamines – speed – to Aboriginal kids. The Aboriginal kids are easily persuaded; they are bored and do not have a lot to do. Taking speed is one way of finding another solution to that boredom. Those same kids need money to pay for those drugs and constantly prey on members of the public who are innocently going about their daily business. The police can only use short-term solutions, which is the crux of the problem. The Aboriginal kids move around in groups. They do not physically take a person’s wallet out of his pocket but they make it very difficult for that person to walk down the street at a particular time of night. They hassle people and, finally, things get out of hand and a fracas occurs. As Mr Acting Speaker (Mr A.D. McRae) would know, police do not have the power to detain juveniles who are out at night unless they are offending. That is a problem in itself. To deal with the issue, police swamp the affected areas such as the nightclub area of Geraldton. By doing so, they are not covering other areas in the greater Geraldton region where the burglaries and other sorts of things take place. This is a growing problem. I give credit to community leaders including members of the Aboriginal community and relevant agencies, the Yamatji Patrol, the Geraldton street workers and the local council who are all endeavouring to find solutions. However, those solutions must be resourced. The Geraldton region has a population of 5 500 Aboriginals. That is a significant number and significant problems are associated with large groups of Aboriginal communities. The Government must focus more on addressing the issues that lead to kids hassling people and taking action to get money to pay for speed. The longer this problem is left unaddressed, the worse it will get. It is an issue that is particular to Geraldton and the greater Geraldton region.
The gentleman who was a victim of the crime that I mentioned before was hassled by about 15 Aboriginal youths. The man was in a group of four people. He was 40 years of age, not a youth. They were walking down the street from a hotel towards the nightclub area when somebody came up behind him, kicked him in the leg and broke it in two places. As a result he will lose in the region of $10 000 because of lack of employment. That obviously puts a strain on his family. Albeit, this Government may be strong on crime and law and order –
Several members interjected.
Mr J.P.D. EDWARDS: I am sorry, I will rephrase that. This Government may say that it is strong on crime and law and order, but the point I am making is that Geraldton has a drug problem that is not being dealt with. Juvenile Aboriginals are running wild on the streets and are not being dealt with. Operational police numbers are not up to scratch and need to be dealt with.
The full hansard (record of parlimentary sessions is here, the section on Gero is slightly less than half way through.
Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 12 27 at 11:17 PM • permalink
Heres an email I got from my copper mate in Gero.
“I see that in one of the replies some nuff nuff suggests that the courts let whites off with one or to offences also. Well you can tell that dill that, the blacks that we’re talking about have had in some cases no prison terms for there 30th or 40th charge. I had a bloke charged recently with Agg Assault, that had 132 charges to his name and he still got bail.”
Sounds a little frustrated to anyone??
Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2007 12 28 at 12:02 AM • permalink
#61 Without wishing to take away from the severity of your friend’s email – and i sympathise with his frustration – I just love that, out of all the insults available he chooses that lovable term of endearment “nuf-nuf” (that’s how i spell it).
Posted by carpefraise on 2007 12 28 at 01:53 AM • permalink
One question is: what can we as individuals do to help change it?
I’ve discussed this with my adult aboriginal friends at times. They have tried talking sense to some of the parents and got nowhere.
These parents see no difference between letting the kids run wild in the bush and letting them run wild in the city. So they get in trouble with the police? Doesn’t phase them at all. There really is no sufficient consequence for their behaviour that matters to them.
All they want to know of city life is that living here makes it easier for them to get their Centrelink and other benefits. They have no interest in emulating my friends who own their own homes and investment properties, hold down very well-paid jobs and generally live a normal, happy and fulfilling life.
In relation to Wadeye, the ABC has more news today. They’ve sent in an extra 10 police officers and the Northern Territory Government says it will double the maximum jail time for people convicted of violent disorders from one year to two. From what I saw on the video, if they were to jail everyone who was “violent” in these sporadic riots for 2 years, there would be no one left in the town. Somehow I don’t see that as the answer.
Posted by spot_the_dog on 2007 12 28 at 07:04 AM • permalink
- Hi SandiM,
I appreciate all the efforts you have made to educate and steer these people towards a brighter future.
My complaint (poorly stated as it may have been) is that the big lie persists. Sit down money – and failure to recognise that the discipline of (i) education and (ii) employment, and (iii) the white man’s law (such as it is) will deliver results – is at the root of the problem.
If there is tourism that they can be involved in, great. If there really is a market for emu products, also great. Anything which is viable out there, great.
But let’s do away with the media bullshit about relative life-span, incarceration rates, and all that comparative stuff.
Whites can go any crap place they like, make a cock-up of their lives and get ignored or a kick up the bum instead of sympathy. Nobody givea a toss whther they succeed or fail in woop-woop, because it is assumed they know how to move to, and get, a job. Centrelink is their confessor and salvation.
Our chattering classes have not just sold the noble savage/land rights pup to the blacks themselves, they have institutionalised it in Australian Government responses to problems, until recently.
There is still a long way to go.
kae, I only heard the “expression of sympathy” offered through their solicitor:
“As an Aboriginal family they have gone through tragedy too . . . they feel for the family of the deceased”
Well that’s all right then.
Posted by spot_the_dog on 2007 12 28 at 10:45 PM • permalink
This Opinion piece in The Australian by Tony Koch is interesting. “Community Breakdown”
Thanks for that article, kae. From what I’ve seen the few times I’ve been in Fitzroy here in WA, it sounds like a pretty apt description. You take for granted sleeping behind razor-wire fences with guards if you work resources in some of the more troubled places in the world, but wouldn’t think it necessary for aid workers in our own country. Only part I’m not sure I agree with is where he claims
“The church and government-driven policy of bygone years, where children in communities were taken from their parents and placed in dormitories where they were taught Christianity and the white man’s work ethic, is at the root of much of today’s problems.”
Many of the Aborigines I know who are self-supporting and raise healthy, hard-working, happy families are people who were “inflicted” with “the white man’s work ethic” at some point in their lives.
Anyway, don’t want to get too political here. But thanks for the article; if you find any more feel free to email me via the blog. Cheers.
Posted by spot_the_dog on 2007 12 29 at 01:11 AM • permalink
It ain’t Swan Lake.