Help to celebrate world’s oldest living culture

A Juvenile Justice elder which sees him in court supporting youth several days a week, David is also the chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative Committee and a member of the Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group.
He says one of the biggest issues is that the country’s history is not taught correctly in schools.
“When I’m doing cultural talks at schools, most students have heard of Simpson and his donkey but no one has heard of Indigenous man Private Billy Singh in Gallipoli; he was a crack shot and took out the Turks’ notorious sniper, Abdul the Terrible,” David said.
“Things would have been much worse without Billy.
“Or how much do they teach about Indigenous warrior Pemulwuy who was a fantastic resistance fighter against the British or that Governor Macquarie killed Aboriginal women and children to send a message to their men.
“It’s embarrassing how little we know, especially the social media generation who are the big ones missing out.”
David says he has to laugh when he sees the cost of steak when we’ve got “skippies everywhere on the outskirts of towns and cities”.
“There’s so much to learn and benefit from our old ways and NAIDOC Week should have been part of national identity right from the start,” he said.
“The local councils are doing a good job but the higher ups let us down; Aboriginal history should be a big part of the curriculum.
“NAIDOC is important but teach the truth please as it brings healing.”