Acknowledgements
Invited to return to the Aboriginal Legal Service to ‘lend a hand’, I began my
education into the true history of Australia and I am deeply grateful to ‘Mum’
Shirl for her compassion, patience and wisdom; so too to the young Black war-
riors who were uncompromising in their militancy, refusing to give an inch to
the private school girl in their midst who witnessed their political passion, their
demands for change and their efforts to distribute food to starving Aboriginal
people, all the while refusing the colonial yoke that was being pushed down on
their necks by police, and the legal and education systems.
Many others have since taught and inspired me along the way, especially
Mrs Kampakuda Brown, Mrs Tjumutja Watson, Dr Marika, Mrs Typingoompa,
Mr and Mrs Mungie and Mrs Tur; I acknowledge the Atkinson, Castelain,
Gurruwiwi, Kalkeeyorta, Khan, Inkamala, Langton, Marika, Rigney, Russell,
Typingoompa and Yunkaporta families; as well as colleagues and friends, Gina
Archer, Geraldine Atkinson, Toni Bauman, Peter Buckskin, Diat Callope,
Sheila Carr-Stewart, Maria Dimopolous, Mick Dodson, Patrick Dodson,
Kathryn Gale, Peter Gale, Carol Garlett, Mauri Hamilton, Jeannie Herbert,
Anne Hickling-Hudson, Neil Hooley, Jackie Huggins, Paul Hughes, Lindy
Joubert, Julian Kitchen, Monica Krajcovicova, Juliana McLaughlin, Koji
Maeda, Michael Mel, Unaisi Nabobo-Baba, Stanley Nangala, Peter Ninnes,
Kaori Okano, June Oscar, Noel Pearson, Lois Peeler, Kaye Price, Minnie
Read, Daryl Rigney, Lester Irabinna Rigney, Annette Rome, Mark Rose,
Pam Russell, Dianne Siemon, Bob and Jennie Teasdale, Konaiholeva Thaman
and Gary Thomas.
I am grateful to Jeane Freer for her persistent and supportive encouragement
and to Peter Anderson and Bernadette Atkinson who walk this journey daily
with me as we educate the next generation of teachers.