It's only business

"Don't be afraid, it's only business
The alien prophet sighed..." (Roger Waters - What God Wants part 3)

I've been testing the water of organized religion for a few years now, unfortunately I haven't been able to commit. The institution and the people made it too difficult for me to join. 

I've been working with them for quite some time now but I think I've reached my limit. While I contemplate what to do next I thought I'd try to write what I'm feeling at this moment in time. 

A brief goodbye letter to the Church.



Dear The Church,
I'm afraid our relationship may be coming to an end. It seems you couldn't listen. You sensed you were losing your grasp of the world and reacted the way institutions always do.
Why is it do you think you are failing? Will you save the body of Christ by clutching at power and money? Didn't you hear the parable about the camel and the eye of a needle?

You thought you could hold your place in the world by securing lucrative business deals with unscrupulous corporations. Well you were part right... You have secured a position but are now exclusively 'Of The World', but your place in it is lost.

You were unable to see that by the virtue of your own action you defy the very principals you espouse. You are dying because you have nothing of value to offer the people. (If what they value is what you preach)
When they look to you for truth they see denial, lies and deceit, when they seek faith you greet them with illogical rationalizations, when they turn to you for courage they find institutional protectionism, when they look for love they are confronted by your fear. Take a step back, it's not hard to see.

You were called to carry the light, you but you did not shine. You traded shelter for property and mistook bread for profit. Pilgrims continue their journey but they no longer knock at your door. Will you dare to ask them why?

You manufactured Contempt and now it's all that remains.

I am not a 'good man' I thought you could teach me, I was mistaken. I have sat with you in prayer and listened for your testimony, but sincerity cannot be contrived or pretended. I have lived in the dark and I know the false act. When I sought to be good I came your way but was warned the Devil is at home in the church. And sure enough I saw him, hidden in plain view. Do you still not know this?

Soon I'll leave your company and you'll be free of this agitation. I am not here to harangue or annoy you. Go back to your stories of goodness and peace and forget me. Secure and protect your financial investments. Talk yourself to blissful doped joyous sleep, while the offering basket sits idly in a corner of your empty shrine, songs fading out as the loyal few are called home and the pews and hearts remain empty.

If you wonder what went wrong remember what Dr King said.

"...the end is pre-existent in the means"

Oh Lord!

There are no coincidences!

If a dog shits on your doorstep... and you stand in it, there's a chance you were destined to have shit on your shoe!

This morning as I wrote the final lines of a two paged diatribe rant, the submission to a committee reviewing a dumb ass decision made by educated, presumably competent theologically trained people, which completely contradicts the basic commitment their organization has made to the welfare of people the planet and the future of creation!

 (Damn! too many words for one sentence and I haven't finished yet! Take a breath damn it and read on!)

 ...I received a text from my wife... who by the way, had absolutely no knowledge of what I was currently doing... This is what it said.

“Thus have emperors throughout the ages sat on their bums, their wealth and their workers and hoped the future would never arrive. Thus Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’ of the marketplace reaches out to all corners of the globe, steals ideas, innovations and images, rips out large chunks of the planet’s surface, magicks it into money, monuments and munificence, holds the key to the chains that enslave thousands, snaps its fingers at suitors and beggars and raises its fist against any challenge.”

(David Nicholson-Lord 1947-2014)

This quote was David Nicholson-Lord's response to a failed attempt to convince oil company executives to generate money from re-afforestation. Sometimes only a combination of rage and despair can produces such clarity.

Monday 23rd February 2015 reading from the 'Prayer guide for the care of creation'.
Tomorrow this will be my offering to the staff newsletter!

Beauty out of focus

Peace out.

Travel! Again!

 Writing to you from some place I wasn't meant to be tonight... 

After just one week at home with the family and I found myself jumping on another plane! 

This time I was headed to Galiwin'ku, Elcho Island for jama (work). 

...Early morning rush to the airport, takeaway meal at the gate, door opens and we file out of the inefficient aircon and onto the tarmac. Back into the morning humidity and the scent of half baked av gas. 

Into the air again! 

This time I didn't really want to go, I didn't want to fly again but after 10 minutes in the air looking over the wild NT coast and snaking rivers I let go of all the things I thought I could have been doing and settle into reading a a book, 'Homage to Catalonia' by George Orwell. (Orwell's personal account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War)

The plan was to fly to Elcho on Friday, prepare for a meeting on Saturday, assist reps from various communities with transport, do all the other stuff that's my job throughout Saturday, be on hand for a special commissioning service on Sunday (Dogs body, you need it I get it sorta thing), fly home to Darwin Monday morning... Well that was how it was meant to go but of course there weren't any direct flights left to Darwin on Monday and I didn't want to spend another night away from the family so I managed to get onto one of the charters back to Gove where I could catch the 3:30 plane back to Darwin! Perfect plan, in theory!

What happened? The charter left late, flew around a thunder head or two and arrived just in time for me to bolt to the main terminal... I got a ride half way and would have just made it if my ticket was valid! Yep I was booked on the wrong day and if I had arrived just 15 minutes earlier I could have altered the ticket... but I didn't and so now here I am! Camping at Nhulunbuy for the night (In a luxury motel, thanks to my generous and forgiving employer). My late arrival was no one's fault but my own. It was pretty ambitious to think I could get anywhere on time at this time of year, besides the fact that the ticket was mucked up was entirely my fault!

Tons of mangoes still ripening on Galiwin'ku

About where I've been. Well I just had a great weekend in Galiwin'ku, everything went reasonably smoothly and I managed to be billeted in a house where I had my very own room! On Elcho there's a serious lack of housing and many houses are way overcrowded, but people make do the best they can. Still it adds to the pressure when some Balanda turns up looking for somewhere to sleep and I was grateful to have some privacy! I am truly grateful for my Fijian hosts who were so hospitable, by the time I had to leave this morning I was seriously wondering why I'd willingly leave!


Saturday meeting took up the whole day, I think we finished just  before 8pm which made it a 10 1/2 hour meeting if you subtract half an hour for lunch. On Friday night Elcho saw the first rain for the season. (A good omen)

 Rronang Yuranydjil and Djulunga (+ 1) Outside Galiwin'ku Church

Inside Galiwin'ku Church - Rejoicing and giving thanks. Vows made.

The church service on Sunday included a commissioning service for the Christian Educator for North East and West Arnhem. The service went for about 3 hours (there's a lot to get through following cultural protocols as well as regular church service, heaps of manikay and bungul (singing and dancing). I spent most of that time running around in the rain sorting out refreshments and playing bus driver.

So with all said and done, nearly everyone booked and headed back to their respective communities I thought I was home and hosed. But then chance stepped in and here I am! Writing a blog post from a motel room on the Gove peninsular! Couldn't be in a better place really except whenever I have this kind of freedom the devil wants to come out and play! Dangerous place for me to be! Cranky with myself for stuffing up, nowhere to go, a town full of booze in the middle of Prescribed Aboriginal Land and nothing much for me to do! I spent nearly an hour in the Supermarket battling demons! In the end I settled on a bottle of coke (No salt and vinegar chips... no booze) and, eventually some healthy food for dinner. (Oh and a copy of a film about Lance Armstrong, 'The Armstrong LIE'.

With time on my hands I'm struggling to do the right thing! At least I get points for healthy eating...

Tomorrow is another day!

Tool of the week

I know I already posted this morning but I'm a bit high on caffeine and that poison shit they put in soft drink to replace sugar...

OK so here we go again... No I don't write reviews on tools generally... But I had some fun with this one today and thought I'd post a picture of it. (I'll try to make this quick because I'm really tired!)


(Introducing The Post Hole Digger 9/10)

It's a 'Post Hole Digger', I got a bit carried away with this thing this morning. I've never used one before and I imagined it would be really hard work to try and gouge out earth by cutting it in a circular motion... I was wrong!
I thought the ground I used it on would be pretty hard, it generally is, but we've had a fair bit of rain lately. Once I got through the grass and the organic layer the thing just wanted to carve it's way straight through to China! (Or maybe Great Brittan or wherever is directly opposite us on the globe) It was awesome!

The holes are for some trees we'll be planting at the Mulch Pit. (The Mulch Pit is a kind of community garden I sometimes help out at, I can't recall if I've posted about it before, you can check the links if you're interested Here )


(Mangos, late in the season)


(Grasshopper)

Although production is not really high, it's still nice to wander around and see what's living in the garden.

The Pit started about a year or so ago when a bunch of people from a Church in Nightcliff decided they'd like to convert a barren piece of rock and dirt into a garden that can be utilized by the community. Most of us are novices at the gardening business and we're all kind of learning as we go. I don't do much gardening there because I usually have my hands full with other things but I try to help out when I can... Especially when there's something fun to play with.

I was asked to dig the holes about a foot deep but couldn't help digging at least two feet deep in some of the holes! I wish I'd taken some photos of the holes I'd dug... You'd probably find steam rising from the earth's core!

- Tool rating for manual orbital post hole digger: 9 out of 10.

It would have been 10 but I got a small blister in webbing of my thumb. I don't like blisters.

(Making furniture)


(Garden seat... complete)

At the Pit this morning Russel made some awesome garden chairs out of scrap wood,

We discovered that one of the chickens is actually a rooster!

(Rooster)

That Broken Jaw Street

This week I learned something new...
While attending a public forum held by the Uniting Church Northern Synod I discovered that Darwin is the Broken Jaw capital of the world!

The public forum was about the effects of alcohol on our society. At this forum I discovered that I'm not the only one who has questioned the meaning of the phrase "Antisocial behavior", which is constantly touted by politicians and media... When I first heard this phrase used I naively assumed it would apply all kinds of behaviors that are considered to be 'anti-social' or diminish the safety and freedom of others.... I thought it would definitely apply to the drunken aggressive louts who sprawl out of clubs and swilling joints, or maybe the marauding groups of teenagers who threaten folks who are unlucky enough to be outdoors when they pass. However here in the NT the Phrase is actually code for a particular group of people.

Here in the NT if you hear the phrase Antisocial behavior don't assume that it is referring to any particular behaviour at all. Although there is a local assumption that it is code for Public Aboriginal Drunkenness, I believe it is actually interpreted to mean the presence of Aboriginal people gathered in Public places! Paradoxically if you are an Aboriginal person and happen to be sitting under a tree with your friends and think that you are engaged in a 'social' activity you could find yourself receiving government sanctioned harassment from the police!

I saw a great example of Antisocial Behavior laws being enacted down at the Nightcliff foreshore a few months ago! It was a busy Sunday afternoon at the Beachfront Hotel. I was playing with my wife and kids at a playground near the rapid creek footbridge just opposite the Hotel and there were several small groups of Aboriginal people sitting quietly in the shade of various trees around the park. The hotel was hosting a 'Bikini Bucking Bull' competition and the place was overflowing with drunken men and women all gathered to watch young women bounce around on one of those electronic Bulls in their bikinis! It was a rowdy and drunken scene. semi naked people were spilling out onto the footpath there was a lot of bad language and it was getting a bit rough. we decided to take the kids to a quieter park when three police cars and an ambulance turned up. The ambulance went straight to the Hotel where intoxicated people were being treated... I'm not sure if their injuries were caused by fighting or the electronic bull... The police cars however did something strange... Instead of attending to the messy scene at the hotel, they drove into the park. About 6 officers approached the groups of Aboriginal people sitting in the park. They turned out their bags, searched their belongings for alcohol and told them to move on!
If you have any question about what Antisocial behaviour means check out the Alcohol restricted areas along Nightcliff foreshore on Australia day! There is an obvious assumption that restrictions apply only to Indigenous people. If a bunch of white folk choose to take their Eskie down to the foreshore to celebrate their Australianess by getting drunk and eating sausages with sauce, nothing could be considered more acceptable or social... police will just cruise on by. However if the cops come across a group of Indigenous people doing the very same thing on the very same day... How is that interpreted?

It's alright if you're white but "If you're Black you'd might as well not show up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat" (Bob Dylan - Hurricane)


While at the forum I also learned that I live in the Broken Jaw Capital of The World! Apparently predominantly caused by alcohol fueled violence! (predominantly caused by non indigenous drunken behavior)

It is a busy time for me at work at the moment and a big part of my job involves running errands and escorting visitors around. Sometimes I have to help people find relatives who have come to Darwin and are possibly in the Long Grass or living on the streets. After the forum one of the ladies who was attending from Derby W.A asked if I could take her to "that Broken Jaw Street?"
I wasn't sure at first what she was referring to but then I figured it out... There is one street in Darwin that is renowned for the antics of intoxicated people with bad attitudes, it is a place of drunkenness which often leads to the violence responsible for the over abundance of Broken Jaws our town appears to be famous for.

My friend's reference to the street was quite prophetic so from now on I think it's time to re-name Darwin's Mitchel Street! Let's call it like we see it! The "Broken Jaw Street" sounds right to me. Actually maybe we should rename the whole tourist precinct? Just as a certain neighborhood in San Francisco known as the "Tenderloin" is considered a somewhat dangerous place, maybe we should now refer to the Darwin Tourist precinct as "The Broken Jaw"!

Visit and fellowship in Arnhemland

Thanks to good fortune I am currently employed in great job that occasionally requires me to travel to Aboriginal Communities in Arnhem Land. Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Island community of Milingimbi in North Eastern Arnhem Land. This was a special place for me to visit since it was the home of a man who had made a big impression on me before he passed away last year. He was a special person who had an enormous capacity for love and forgiveness he did a lot to create channels of communication and understanding between Yolngu and Balanda.


This has been my longest stay in an Arnhem Land community and the best chance I've had so far to experience the atmosphere in this unique part of the world.

Although my schedule was extremely busy and there were all kinds of logistical problems that I just hadn't counted on, I still managed to find plenty of opportunities to get about and meet up with some rather inspirational people as well as attend some local activities.

There's a lot going on over at Milingimbi at the moment and from my perspective I'd say much of it is very good.


(Stained window, Milingimbi Church)

Milingimbi is an old Mission settlement and there are several Clan groups living in the township. As with most other Aboriginal Communities Milingimbi is affected by the Federal Intervention and all it's restrictions and impositions, however unlike many other Communities Milingimbi had already been dry for some time before the Intervention and functioned fairly well without the new laws that were brought down upon them 2 years or so ago. (Of course Milingimbi has seen some benefits from renewed interest from Government agencies)


(Sitting in comfort on a rug on the sand)

While I was there I was fortunate to see just how well things can come together at the initiative of local people. Although my experience of Christianity is quite limited (actually prior to 5 years ago I'd had no meaningful contact with the religion outside of attending weddings or funerals) I'd have to say that the activities at Milingimbi are quite a phenomenon! There is a strong Christian Fellowship in Milingimbi that meets every night and I found the gatherings quite amazing! On my second night there I went along to the beach expecting maybe half a dozen loyal followers of the tradition handed to them by missionaries in the early 20th Century... What I found was a crowd of maybe 200 people, gathered together in fellowship, families, young and old people together. Singing, Dancing, Sharing stories. I saw a group of up to 30 young children performing a carefully choreographed dance, perfectly synchronized, later a group of about 8 young men performing their own dance, then more beautiful singing from the older ladies and on it went until late at night. People sitting happily with their family and friends, on rugs and mats as a gentle northerly sea breeze kept the sand-flies at bay and cooled the brows of some very enthusiastic performers.
What a BUZ!

Unlike many outback townships there were no sounds of drunken brawls, no screeching tires, smashing glass, abusive language or any of the behavior that might prevent families from venturing down Mitchel Street on any night... Just the sound of singing, happy chatter and the bark of an occasional dog as people wandered home after a night of warmth and fellowship.

It happened to be school sports week while I was there so lunch times were spent cheering the young athletes as they raced each other down the mains street. I'd heard about low attendance rates at Community schools but what I saw on Milingimbi seemed to contradict this story completely. In fact I saw kids turning up more than an hour early for school full of enthusiasm and ready to get stuck into the learning before their teachers had even arrived. The kids there really seemed to be engaged and interested in learning... The school seemed to have just the right ingredients. Music, Sport, some really involved teachers and a library full of Yolngu stories. The library even had a traditional hand carved canoe and one of the bark canoes from the film 10 Canoes. The Milingimbi School is COOL!

(Image if person now deceased has been removed out of respect for the family)


(Rev. Larry B------ with some home grown watermelons)

All these things were great but there was one aspect to this trip that really impressed me. While I was talking to Rev. Larry we got talking about gardening and all the benefits that come from growing vegetables in particular. Before I knew it he was imparting a whole philosophy on me that absolutely fit perfectly the concepts I'd been thinking about over the past few years. A program for providing young people with an environment where they can develop a sense of, community self worth and become confident independent thinkers. The Patch down in Leanyer is a great example of the enormous benefit this kind of education can improve the outcomes for students who are struggling with the regular curriculum.
Nature is a great teacher, by engaging with the natural processes of planting, nurturing and growing vegetables we can learn a lot about the skills we need in other aspects of life. Patience, care, observation, a little bit of sweat and the reward of reaping what we have sown... If for some reason the crop fails we learn how to deal with disappointment as we proceed to try again.
Larry has teamed up with a teacher at the school and they've been working with a couple of boys who have benefited greatly from the activities. The idea of a larger project has taken on and they've produced a short documentary in which Larry explains the philosophy behind the project which has an excellent name that I will publish when I know it's OK to do so.

It seems the school may even come on board and dedicate some land especially for the purpose of developing a larger training program around this philosophy! Since all the fresh fruit and vegetables on Milingimbi are imported, this project could have many flow on benefits for the community.

There's so much more I could rant on about but basically I have come home feeling recharged and optimistic about all the potential of this small community.

Film Premier - Our Generation

Word was passed around last Sunday that there'd be a screening of a locally made film on Tuesday night... Two days time! Some people probably knew about it the previous week but I bet most didn't. The film was to be screened at the Nightcliff Uniting Church, a reasonably small building with room for maybe 100 people... That's in the dry season when it's reasonably comfortable to be huddled close together...(It's not the dry season!) On Tuesday 16th March people were lined up past the reach of the lights and into the dark of the carpark wanting to get in and see this film. The building was packed to the rafters! In a crowded hall on a balmy evening with fans whirling and people sweating we gathered to watch the documentary of Yolŋu testimony about how the Federal intervention has affected their lives. Every chair was taken and the audience filled every bit of floor space and spilled out into the yard where they watched through the doorways and slanted louver windows! It was a sellout crowd!

The Film (From the Our Generation Website)
"This project started out in June 2007, in response to the Howard Government’s controversial “Emergency Intervention” into Aboriginal communities in Australia’s remote Northern Territory. All in the name of “protecting children”, the Intervention took away all existing Aboriginal land rights, suspended the Racial Discrimination Act and placed over 70 communities under compulsory government control. Subsequent government measures have had little to do with directly improving the wellbeing of children, but instead have disempowered traditional owners, opened up access to valuable Aboriginal land, and sought to forcibly assimilate Aboriginal culture."

It was a truly special night! Shelly Morris came along and entertained the crowd while people were still trying to find a place to sit. There was a real sense of ease and camaraderie between the film makers, organizers, special guests, and the audience... This was not yet another occasion for Balanda to sympathize with Indigenous people from a distance. The audience consisted of a fairly broad range of people; there were those actively involved in Aboriginal issues , members of the local community, several Theological Students from Nungalinya College and Yolŋu folk currently living in Darwin.

The night was a hot, we were all squeezed in together, but the atmosphere was extremely friendly but intense. The story after all is about the outrageous offenses committed against Indigenous people in the Northern Territory by way of the Federal Government's Emergency Intervention! I think it was a validation of the sense of betrayal many of us have felt as a result of our Government's deliberate attack on the rights and dignity of Indigenous Australians.

The story was told primarily from the perspective of Yolŋu people from North East Arnhem Land. People who have endured colonization and to a large degree have managed to maintain much of their traditional culture. Due to their strong connection to their own law, (in many cases there has also been the influence of mission culture and Christian values) coupled with tools such as the Permit System Yolŋu had managed to avoid the full brunt of many of the social problems associated with exposure to Western Culture. The Federal Intervention seemed to have been based on a supposition that all Aboriginal Communities are suffering from the same degree of dysfunction that can be found in those most affected by the influences and corruption brought by Western Culture. This documentary tells of the bewilderment and dismay suffered by Yolŋu at the way the Intervention was forced upon them. The degrading ways in which many people had been treated as a result of the Intervention and their determination for justice.

The film contains excellent interviews with people who have been affected by racially discriminatory Government Policy. Each person presents a compelling argument against the validity of the Intervention but more disturbingly their testimonies indicate the obvious harm caused by a Government that is unable to recognize the cultural diversity within it's own country.

There is plenty of catchy music, some great footage from past and present, and including replays of the announcements made by our previous Prime Minister when the Intervention was announced. It still turns my stomach to see him speaking with so little respect.
The film also rightfully challenges the actions of our current Prime Minister Mr Rudd who delivered a very moving Sorry Speech but has proceeded to implement the same racist agenda of the previous government. With all his lovely words Rudd has only added sweetener to the poison! It looks like just the same discrimination against Indigenous people that our Governments have perpetrated ever since the British claimed this land for themselves.

After the film we had a panel of about 6 people including Yolngu, Balanda, and Larakia people. The prominent question and conclusions drawn from discussion was that we are currently living in a country that has actively and deliberately diminished the rights of it's indigenous people. The current situation is unacceptable to those who believe in justice and equality. It is the responsibility of each of us to stand up and fight for the rights of our fellow citizens.

If you ever get the chance to see this film I would highly recommend it. I hope the film makers continue to tour with the film and hopefully are able to include a panel similar to the one we had to engage the audience and get to the Heart of the matter.

Climate Vigil Darwin NT

If you live in Darwin and are concerned about Climate Change, if you've heard about the Climate Conference in Copenhagen but are unsure about what it all means or what any of this might mean to you or your future. If you are feeling anxious and don't know how to direct your feelings or connect with others who share your concerns, you might like to come along to the Climate Vigil that is being held at the Uniting Church in Nightcliff. I went last night and found it extremely rewarding. Although the vigil is being held in a Church it is a non religious format and people of all walks of life are encouraged to come along and share the space.

The event promotional literature says:

"We are hosting a quiet reflective space from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to simply come and share the space and light a candle. Brief updates on the plans for the day in Copenhagen will be posted on the notice board to keep people informed.

bring a candle and a rock for the labyrinth if you'd like."

I found the experience quite profound and moving. Taking time to deliberately sit in silences with others was quite a novel idea and allowed me to slow down from my daily routine. However the few words that were read in dedication to the event absolutely shook me and gave me the opportunity to feel and express my confusion, sadness, grief and hope regarding the current situation we all now find ourselves in. To acknowledge this in a safe and friendly environment amongst people who share those same feelings gave me a great sense of ease and piece of mind.

I highly recommend you come along and join the vigil even if it's just for one half hour visit. This is a time for reflection, we are not seeking to solve the worlds problems...

Just to see them and feel them and to acknowledge that they do exist.