h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The UN Speech - A87735397
Author: GregPius - U13648184

This is a "taster" of a story I wrote over ten years ago. It is very long and fully developed. My only hesitation is that I am not of Koori blood and have no right to write about their struggle even with a work of fiction such as this. I met some inner city Kooris in 1998 and they had a lot to say about land theft by whites. Perhaps one day they will give me permission to write about that struggle in a work of fiction.

This is interesting.

Help me out, here - did anything like this really happen?

I don't know enough about Australian history. I know what I've read from Thomas Kennealy and watching the film 'Rabbit Proof Fence'. Recognising the pattern - yep, looks like the same stunt they pulled in the US - doesn't equal knowing the players.

I sympathise with the hesitation. Writing yourself into someone else's shoes is a tricky business.

The story opens in a NSW High School where a teacher, who is part aboriginal and part Anglo-Celtic, is approached to look after some full bloood Aborigines. Over time this teacher finds that he has signed up for a long term struggle. There is something happening in the Northern Territory of Australia. Instead of being lured to drugs and sniffing, young indigeneous males are becoming martial and militant! After a period of training by the elders, many of these young Koooris join up with the Australian Army. Here they are taught to fight in disciplined groups. They are also taught to kill. But there is great discrimination against these full blood aborigines from their NCOs. After 18 months, they all leave and disappear on "walkabout". Some time after that a Civil War breaks out in Alice Springs. Started by a suspicious death in custody, soon all police stations in Alice Springs are surrounded by armed aboriginal men. This is the start of a long running Civil War.
This UN Speech fits in here.

This is an interesting idea for a story but I would be wary of ascribing an intent to rebel to any people.

Apart from the question who might be listening
the people themselves might object to that interpretation of their feelings.

Yes it is a complicated project. the depressed state of most of the indigeneous young people in the Northern Territory cries out for some action. The only problem is that any action taken by a non-Koori may be misguided and counterproductive. This is why I shelved the book and moved on to other ways to help the Kooris.

with this venture.