Honours. I’ve just received news that our Honours program has been approved. Thanks to Johanna Simmons, Sharon Tribe and Peter Eckersall, School of Culture and Communication, for support; and Marion Campbell, Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Arts, for guidance. I’ve always envisaged a two-year window for setting up our courses. That’s been achieved.
Worawa College, Healesville. Worawa College has experienced some upheaval in recent years but has re-established itself as an Indigenous all girls school. It’s meeting an important need and we wish the school every success.
Attended. Deborah Cheetham’s ‘Til the Black Lady Sings’ (Cheetham providing some insight into her life with reminiscence and song) and a preview (with cast) of ‘Pecan Summer’. The performance took place at BMW Edge and there was the magical combination of music, and outside, Melbourne’s lights reflected in the Yarra. Previously I’ve mentioned the Indigenous opera community Cheetham has created - noteworthy on the night were the numbers of grass roots Indigenous people in attendance and the powerful and immediate way they recognised the medium of opera as giving form to their histories and sentiments.
Visitors. Heather Dorries, an Indigenous Canadian scholar (Anishinaabe) arrives later this month to spend the semester with us.
A special perspective. Mr John Howells was a student in the subject Key Thinkers and Concepts last semester. No big deal except that Mr Howells is 78 years old and enrolled as part of the Community Access Program. His thoughts on the subject:
BACK TO SCHOOL
People over fifty years of age like me (born 1932) learned little at school about Australia's indigenous people. How different it is now. Today nearly four hundred first year students at Melbourne University each year enrol in the subject, "Australian Indigenous Studies". Many go on to complete a major in the field and some go on to post-graduate study and research work. Every university across Australia has similar programs. School programs today also reflect this growing interest. One may expect that over the next ten or twenty years Australians will become well-informed about our indigenous people.
It is important that those of us, who are over fifty and who are concerned about the protection of human rights in Australia, seek to be well-informed about our indigenous citizens. With this in mind I took the second year subject, "Key Thinkers and Concepts", at Melbourne University during Semester 1 this year. There was a lecture each Tuesday morning from 9.00 till 10.30 and a tutorial from 11.00 till 12.00. Our lecturer, Philip Morrissey, a tall Aboriginal man, was excellent and introduced us to the anthropologists W.E.H.Stanner and Eric Michaels, the cultural studies theorist Stephen Muecke, the cultural nationalists Mudrooroo, Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Kevin Gilbert, the public servant and statesman Nugget Coombs, the reconciliation and social justice thinkers Mick and Patrick Dodson, the conservative thinker Noel Pearson, the Aboriginal educationalist Chris Sarra, and the Yolgnu leaders Mandawuy and Galarrwuy Yunupingu. It was fascinating and I enjoyed every moment of it. During the tutorials we took it in turn to introduce to our small group one of the set texts and to lead a discussion of it. We also had to write two essays on set topics during the course.
I was very nervous at first, but it was a great course and a great experience. The other students were all about nineteen or twenty years of age, but were very accepting of an old fellow like me. The first time the tutor called the roll and I answered "yes", one chap asked, "How long, John, since you last answered a roll-call?" When I replied, "about 60 years", there were grins all round. I was able to enrol through the University's Community Access Program which admits mature age students without prerequisites. How much did it cost? It is not cheap. As a former student I got a 20% discount, but it still came to $1,339.
I am now all fired up to share some of things I have learned and some of the books and other writings I have read. My first instalment follows. I hope you will be encouraged to read the book I am recommending.
John Howells
NAIDOC breakfast. A pleasant interval last Friday as Indigenous staff and students gathered with non-Indigenous colleagues for a NAIDOC Week breakfast. Simone Brotherton from the Centre for Indigenous Education orchestrated proceedings; Acting Provost Pip Pattison welcomed guests; Centre for Indigenous Education Manager Chris Heelan spoke on the history of NAIDOC; and Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin conducted the Welcome to Country in her own inimitable style that combines maximum dignity with personal warmth.
