Tomorrow will be a big part of Australias history.

February 12th, 2008.  Australia will re-write the history books.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow.  I think our Prime Minister is doing the right thing, and is doing something that should have been done decades ago.  I fully support him and I know if I was him, I’d be pretty nervous.  I’d be wanting to make sure my speech was downright and pact, not wanting to miss any important words.  How I would incorporate ‘Sorry’ into the speech is beyond me.  I believe Kevin Rudd has thought this through for a long time, and he said ages ago he was going to do it.  I fully commend him and if only I could shake his hand, I would.

John Howard never would.  He was a coward.

Us ‘english’ folk in high school used to get annoyed at the aboriginal students because they would get everything handed to them on a platter – they didn’t have to pay taxes, they didn’t have to pay for any of their education materials and any excursions or trips the class went on, all aboriginal students got to go on for free.  I never understood that.  Was that Hawke’s. Keating’s, and Howards, way of making it up to them?  ‘We took what’s rightfully yours, so you can have it for free?’

My brother married an aboriginal girl, so that makes me have a sister-in-law who is one.  I always remember the time she and my brother went and saw the movie ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ – not that it has anything to do with the ‘Sorry’ landmark speech, but I remember she was crying her eyes out, even after the long drive back home.  it just had so much to do with her culture and the history of I guess her ancesters that it really got to her.  She is a lovely girl and has obviously adapted to the ‘English’ style of living Australia became after 1788.

I gotta admit though, I am concerned at what the reaction of the aboriginals will be.  Everyone’s just expecting it to be a ‘Sorry and a handshake’ and all will be better, but we stole their country and their land.  We’ve built tens of thousands of highrises in places of caves where they probably lived centuries ago.

It still happens.  A lot of aboriginals still live like that.  They don’t live in houses or have cars, they live in the bush and still hunt for their food.  It amazed me but I have seen some who refuse to conform to the modern day Australian way of living.  I’ve seen this is a few New South Wales communities I’ve passed through, and also way up in Hopevale, north Queensland.  Me and my family were pretty much the only caucasian people there, and the aboriginal residents were so friendly to us, showing us the best way to get places and offering us everything they could.  The aboriginals up north at least lived under roofs, but I was stunned at the ones I saw in NSW who scrounged for their food.  It just really showed me how diversually cultured Australia is.  I’m amazed at all the aboriginal art at Uluru, The ‘Dreamtime’, and how the aborigines named many of the mountains and townships in remote parts of Australia.  It’s stunning and is a tourist attraction!

I know it’s silly thinking of living like that in this day and age, especially when you see how amazing of a country Australia really is.  I think Australia being stolen was the best thing that could have happened, but of course me not being aboriginal of course I’m gonig to say that.  So I guess what I’m trying to say is, the fact that Kevin Rudd is acknowledging that ‘Yes, we did steal your land, and yes, we are sorry’ is a really brave and noble thing to do, because it’s been a long time coming.  I hope it means that more aboriginals will be included in activities around the country rather than being shunned away.

Albert Namatjira, Ernie Dingo, Lionel Rose, Cathy Freeman, Nova Peris Kneebone, Michael Long, Gavin Wanganeen, Casey Dovovan, Yothu Yindi, and to all the less famous aboriginals, tomorrow is your day and a day for the record books!

I hope tomorrow goes well.  I’m really glad it is being televised live.  Of course I’m gunna be a damn work and will miss it grrrrr.