15 July 2011 Volume: 21 Issue: 13 North Korea's ... - Eureka Street

Volume 21 Issue: 1315 July 2011Indigenous Australians taking the next stepINDIGENOUS AFFAIRSBrian DoyleI have just returned home after visiting friends in remote Aboriginalcommunities in the Kimberley.This is the season of the ‘grey nomads’: older tourists escaping the coldand wet winter weather of the south; heavily packed and well prepared. It isa good time of the year to travel and explore the north. The weather in the Centre andKimberley is ideal: cold nights and sunny days. The unsealed roads are dry and, while the costof fuel can be high ($2.33 in one place), the land and people are warm and welcoming.While one has to ‘pay’ extra to travel and experience what locals see as normal, much of thelife of remote living can remain hidden.I enjoyed catching up with families I have known for a long time, but had not seen for ayear. As always, new babies, growing adolescents, long memories and old jokes.In the beginning, time is put aside to pay respect for those who have died since my lastvisit. This takes the form of a handshake, sometimes an embrace, depending on myrelationship to the deceased and their family. My friends gently remind me of those names Ineed to avoid repeating, in order to show respect for those who have recently departed.Then we settle down to talk about football, local politics and the latest issues of concern.Their humour enlivens my spirit. Always quick, sharp and clever. Remote living may betough, day following day and things improving far too slowly, but it always merits a goodlaugh.At the same time, and despite the warmth and humour, this was a particularly sad trip. Ibecame aware of the large number of young people who have died in recent years. Some wereclose friends; we had shared journeys, important ceremonies and special occasions.So, before I returned home, I went down to the local cemetery to remember and let themknow I had not forgotten them. There they were laid out before me: nicely tended graves,crosses, rosary beads and plastic flowers. They represented the painful trifecta of youngpeoples’ deaths: car accidents, suicides and chronic disease.I found myself quite sad. I have watched them come into life and grow up with all thepromise that only the young can offer. Apart my own feelings, however, I could sense adeeper burden for families and communities having to live with such close, lingering andpainful memories.One of my highlights was to spend time with a young mother, her attentive husband and©2011 EurekaStreet.com.au 33