Could reviving traditional Aboriginal agriculture skills bridge the gap of two cultures and two civilisations, with value systems that are too different, and possibly find motivation to come to terms with each other?
7 June, Wednesday, 6pm, at the Manjimup Repertory Club. It is an evening with Jon Doust in conversation with "Dark Emu" author, Bruce Pascoe.
Maybe most people like me in our subconscious mind are curious about Aborigines. I remember 5 years ago in my early days in Australia where I was studying art at TAFE, after a month or two of getting settled, and having had a chance to observe my environment, I casually asked my classmates where are the Aborigines? I am very sure I could hear that my classmates had stopped breathing. Coming from Singapore, my everyday life was shared with many different races and I would be devastated if any one of those many cultures were not a part of Singapore. I could think of a list of things I would miss there... like the food for example (grin).
Moving from Singapore to Northcliffe meant reinventing my identity and modifying my visions, but at the background, the values I hold do affect all levels of interaction and cooperation I have between myself and other individuals. So whenever I feel for some reason I am not in sync with others, I repeat to myself, 'Never fear to modify, never fear to rest and never fear to work hard'. This belief has always provided me a sense of solidarity within myself.
Well, here is an opportunity for you and for me myself to learn more about the ancient pre- colonial history of Aboriginal agriculture from Bruce Pascoe, author of Dark Emu. Don't be surprised to discover a culture with a long and well-established agriculture history and a deep understanding of farming in Australia.