our australian of the year has let us down , page-108

so those who criticise Australian of the Year choice, if follows, must be "mediocre" themselves?

I would suggest there are many of the so-called mediocre variety out there (men and women, extraordinary persons who have no huge public persona - as footballers and other sports people do) who will never, ever, be even remotely considered as a choice for such an honor - because no one knows what they are doing! Yet, given the scope of their various contributions to society, sometimes being done in conditions of great personal hardships, and their life's work, all done, many times voluntarily, for the good of their fellow man/woman, it is to our shame they are never known of, nor recognised.

My Sri-Lankan born daughter in law - here since a tiny girl - an Aussie - the mother of Aussies - walked into a local Greek cafe in a little seaside town -for a fish and chips for her husband and kids - on a holiday - the propreitor standing there chatting to his Aussie mate - looked he up and down - then said to his mate - "Do you smell a huge stink in here?" - or words to that effect.

Such ugly racist hate is NOT confined towards Aboriginals, nor part-Aboriginals, as they often try to infer.

Goodes somehow pinpointed the child who made this ugly comment that day - singled her out - to security and police --threw such a tanty over it he didn't even turn up to play the following week - and this child is now stamped on her forehead for life - (whisper whisper whisper - behind malicious hands) "she's the one who "abused" Adam Goodes!.
She needed remonstration - yes - but not to be treated as "criminal". Taken away - and kept isolated from her parent for several hours?

So we have to give him this honor - to make it up. An he then proceeds to make a hate speech - racist in itself - AGAINST whites - belittle and accuse us?

My daughter-in-law walked out of that shop, gracefully and proud. Said NOTHING! And it's not the first time she'd encountered racist comment - or even hateful glares - say, in shopping malls - out in public, with her "white" husband.
And their children, too.

Suggest Adam Goodes buy - read- the following new biography - which shows Captain Arthur Phillip for the man that he was - a compassionate humanitarian - an egalitarian - and he always took care of, had huge respect for, the local Aboriginal populace he first encountered, AND his crews, and the convicts, and especially the convict women and children. Phillips job in establishing the new settlement mammoth in the face of a severe drought. And he was speared, at one stage - as was his gamekeeper, who died from his wounds.

Bennelong one of Phillip's closest friends. He calling him "Father".

The relief ship coming through with supplies from South Africa struck an iceberg and never arrived, this at the worst possible time, when desperately needed. He got this colony through the toughest establishment years. Phillip and his men took the same cut in rations as everyone else, (except pregnant women, and children). His treatment of women "convicts" exemplary.


Contrast this with the possibilities of us being settled but persons of other nationalities - perhaps such kindness
and generosity and empathetic spirit would never have been evident in some (perhaps) cruel and brutal land grab, or this becoming a brutal penal colony. This image of Cap. Phillip (as inferred by Goodes, in alleged ignorance, as some cruel "invader",) is so wide of the mark as to be ludicrous. He had orders - he followed them. But kindly - and his character of caring generosity, and insistence that natives (as he called them) be treated well, and in totally friendly fashion, inviting them into his settlements for help in illness, etc has influenced our whole national mindset in enduing years over our relatively short history of white settlement.

"Arthur Phillip: Sailor, Mercenary, Governor, Spy" - by Michael Pembroke

This ios said to be a sensational book. And telling some truths, for a change. Mr. Goodes would do well to buy same - AND read it! And thank heaven we're not Spanish, Dutch, French, or Portugese. Or some province of Asia.