Where it all Started

As we were preparing for the 1986 Alice Springs Pope John Paul meeting with the Aboriginal people, there was a meeting of the Aboriginal Community every Saturday night at the presbytery.

The Author Maurice West came up from Sydney for one of these meetings. He paid for the Pizza on that night, we all ate well that night, he was a generous man. He wrote about his visit in one of his books.

We decided to write a prayer to share with the Pope and with all Australians. So I churned out 20 + versios on the Apple Mac, to be corrected and refined by the community.

The prayer was in the spirit of the Priestly Prayer of Jesus in St John's Gospel. We were happy with the product. The Poet Les Murray thought it was good too and published it in his Anthology of Australian Verse.

The prayer had to be passed by the Papal Visit office, which suggested changes: Father you gave us the Dreaming, was changed to "Father of all, you gave us the dreaming.." Come on, we thought, Father means God, what is your problem...!

Then it was suggested that we water down the 'the people of Australia to listen to us and respect our culture. Too Political, they said. We responded: respectifully, not negotiable!but you can have your Father of all.

So this is the prayer, as the Arrerente people wanted it was:

Father you gave us the Dreaming,

you have spoken to us through our beliefs,

then you made your love clear to us in Jesus.

We thank you for your care,

You own us, You are our hope.

Make us strong as we face the problem of change.

We ask you to help the people of Australia

to listen to us and respect our culture.

Make the knowledge of you grow strong in all people

So that you can be at home in us

and we can make a home for everyone in our land.

Education and Health are needs to help aboriginal people tackle the problem of change

In 1970 the first group of Tiwi came south to Monivae for education. The scheme lasted two years.

In 1990 a group of Arrernte went to Monash University. The scheme lasted for one year.

Some problems need good hearts rather than good government policy to fix. I lived with Tiwi and tired of tending youth suicides. At the Kenmore Qld StVdeP we had like most other Australians had recited the Prayer of the Aboriginal People for twenty years, but thought, in the true spirit of Frederick Ozanam, pious words need to be followed up with Action, and they decided to give ten years to an effort in one aboriginal community.

Four Tiwi have demonstrated the dedication to play AFL at highest level. None have survived the Education labyrinth to get a Year 12 pass. So we commenced the Tiwi Education project, attempting to could crack the Glass Ceiling preventing aborigines making it in education.

If you have any ideas, contact us on phillipwh@gmail.com,

If you Can you help fund the project: https://vinnies.org.au/appeals-processor-national indicate Qld, and pull down the Tiwi Education project option under Appeal.